him. He is trying to get this ranch away from us."

"And he has no real claim to it?"

"I do not believe he has. But he is so slippery a customer he will
swindle us if he can. Will you give us some advice how best to proceed?
You know more about claims and legal papers than we do."

"Certainly I'll do what I can for you," and then both entered the ranch
home.

"I'm sorry I ain't got your older brother to deal with," began the
captain. "I reckon he is the one who will understand my talk best."

"Then, perhaps you had best wait till he gets back," said Chet quickly.

"And when will that be?"

"I cannot say exactly."

"I'm not in the humor to wait. I've waited too long already." The
captain paused and cleared his throat. "I believe you said you had the
original title papers to the ranch, didn't you?" he went on.

"Yes, we did say that."

"I would like to see 'em."

Chet and Paul looked at each other. They had expected and dreaded this
request.

"Supposing we don't care to show them to you?" said Paul cautiously.

"What's the reason you don't care?" retorted the captain, angrily.

"We are not called on to explain all our actions to you," said Chet.

"See here, I don't want to quarrel, but I'm a-goin' to see them ere
papers," blustered Captain Grady, with a decided shake of his head. "I
came all the way from Deadwood to see 'em."

"Well, you won't see them," returned Paul, boldly. It would never do in
the wide world to acknowledge that they had been burned up.

"Well, then, I reckon I'm free to speak what's on my mind," roared the
captain, "an' that is, that you never had no papers at all."

"You can say what you please," said Chet, as calmly as he could.

"An' that ain't all I've got to say," went on the captain. "I've got
more to say to you. This ere claim o' land originally belonged to Sam
Slater, o' Deadwood----"

"We know that."

"Slater died, an' left no will----"

"That may all be true, too."

"An' he left this land----"

"No, he didn't. It was sold to my father before that!" cried Paul.

"No such thing. Old Slater left it as part o' his estate----"

"He did not."

"He did, an' I can take my affidavy to it, if it's necessary," exclaimed
Captain Grady. "But that ain't all yet wot I hev got to tell. Slater
left it to his heirs, an' I bought it from them only last week."

"It can't be true!" gasped Chet, faintly.

"It is true, an' I hev the papers to prove it. This here ranch belongs