e. But it's over for me, and I bear no grudge."

Baldwin had to take the proffered hand; for the baleful eye of the
terrible Boss was upon him. But his sullen face showed how little the
words of the other had moved him.

McGinty clapped them both on the shoulders. "Tut! These girls! These
girls!" he cried. "To think that the same petticoats should come between
two of my boys! It's the devil's own luck! Well, it's the colleen inside
of them that must settle the question; for it's outside the jurisdiction
of a Bodymaster--and the Lord be praised for that! We have enough on us,
without the women as well. You'll have to be affiliated to Lodge 341,
Brother McMurdo. We have our own ways and methods, different from
Chicago. Saturday night is our meeting, and if you come then, we'll make
you free forever of the Vermissa Valley."

Chapter 3--Lodge 341, Vermissa

On the day following the evening which had contained so many exciting
events, McMurdo moved his lodgings from old Jacob Shafter's and took up
his quarters at the Widow MacNamara's on the extreme outskirts of the
town. Scanlan, his original acquaintance aboard the train, had occasion
shortly afterwards to move into Vermissa, and the two lodged together.
There was no other boarder, and the hostess was an easy-going old
Irishwoman who left them to themselves; so that they had a freedom for
speech and action welcome to men who had secrets in common.

Shafter had relented to the extent of letting McMurdo come to his meals
there when he liked; so that his intercourse with Ettie was by no means
broken. On the contrary, it drew closer and more intimate as the weeks
went by.

In his bedroom at his new abode McMurdo felt it safe to take out the
coining moulds, and under many a pledge of secrecy a number of brothers
from the lodge were allowed to come in and see them, each carrying away
in his pocket some examples of the false money, so cunningly struck that
there was never the slightest difficulty or danger in passing it. Why,
with such a wonderful art at his command, McMurdo should condescend to
work at all was a perpetual mystery to his companions; though he made it
clear to anyone who asked him that if he lived without any visible means
it would very quickly bring the police upon his track.

One policeman was indeed after him already; but the incident, as luck
would have it, did the adventurer a great deal more good than harm.
After the first introduction there