with worry over every
man's personal safety in traveling about, was fairly intolerable. The
inefficient posses were roundly berated, but no man volunteered to
issue forth and "get" Matt Barger--either alive or as a corpse.

The man who arrived with the news was one of Van's cronies, Dave, the
little station man whom Beth had met the morning of her coming. He was
here in response to a summons from Van, who thought he saw an
opportunity to assist his friend to better things. Everything Dave
owned he had fetched across the desert, including both the horses that
Beth and Elsa once had ridden. The station itself he had sold. He had
launched forth absolutely on Van's new promises, burning all his
bridges, as it were, behind him.

Van came down to meet him. He had other concerns in Goldite, some with
Culver, the Government representative, and others a trifle more
personal, and intended to combine them all in one excursion.

No sooner had he appeared on the street, after duly stabling "Suvy" at
the hay-yard, than a hundred acquaintances, suddenly transformed into
intimate friends, by the change in his fortunes, pounced upon him in a
spirit of generosity, hilarity, and comaraderie that cloyed not only
his senses, but even his movements in the camp.

He was dragged and carried into four saloons like a helpless,
good-natured bear cub, strong enough to resist by inflicting injuries,
but somewhat amused by the game. Intelligence of his advent went the
rounds. The local editor and the girl he had addressed as "Queenie,"
on the day of the fight in the street, were rivals in another joyous
attack as he escaped at last to proceed about his own affairs.

The editor stood no chance whatsoever. Van had nothing to say, and
said so. Moreover, Queenie was a very persistent, as well as a very
pretty, young person, distressingly careless of deportment. She clung
to Van like a bur.

"Gee, Van!" she cried with genuine tears in her eyes, "didn't I always
say you was the candy? Didn't I always say I'd give you my head and
breathe through my feet--day or night? Didn't I tell 'em all you was
the only one? You're the only diamonds there is for me--and I didn't
never wait for you to strike it first."

"No, you didn't even wait for an invitation," answered Van with a
smile. "Everybody's got to hike now. I'm busy, trying to breathe."

She clung on. Unfortunately, down in an Arizona town, Van had trounced
a ruffian once in Queen