t-is, with his imperial mouth open and nothing coming
out of it--not even the imperial breath!"

"Bob" rocked backward and kicked up her neatly shod feet; she hugged
herself and snickered with a malicious enjoyment not wholly
Christian-like.

"But--we 'ain't even got an option! It takes _money_ to lease close-in
stuff." Tom was bewildered.

"Of course. And they realized that, or Bell did, as soon as he'd had
time to collect himself. But it was too late then; he had betrayed
himself and he knew it. Oh, he was sore! He'd have flung me out if I'd
been a man. I got mad, too, and I told him it made no real difference
whether I was bluffing or not; the jig was up, so far as he was
concerned. I reminded him of what Henry had just said--that the oil
business is a game of wits, and that when you know what the other
fellow is doing you have him licked. I admitted that he could probably
keep me from getting the lease, but I could also keep him from getting
it. Bell nearly had a stroke at that threat. Henry behaved very
decently throughout. I think it must have pleased him to find that
somebody in Wichita, besides him, had the courage to defy his father;
anyhow, he said, '"Bob" has beaten us at our own game. She knows enough
now to place that lease in half an hour, and I think we'd better take
her in. Otherwise she'll wire Knute, and he'll probably protect her for
an interest.'

"That made me feel awfully fraudulent, but his smarty remarks about
women in the oil business still rankled, so I just sat pretty and
blinked like a little owl. Bell swore. In his best and most horrible
manner, he swore, but--he gave in." "Bob" laughed again, a bit
hysterically. "That's about all, dad. They agreed to put up the money
and carry me--us, I mean--for a quarter interest if I can get the lease
from Knute Hoaglund. So, I'm leaving on the night train."

"Son! I--I'm darned if I don't believe we'll make a go of this
business," Tom Parker declared.

With a little cry Barbara flung herself into his arms.

* * * * *

The publicity Calvin Gray received from his exploit at Ranger could be
nothing except agreeable to one of his temperament. Gratefully he
basked in his notoriety, meanwhile continuing assiduously to cultivate
the moneyed men of Dallas. His sudden leap into prominence aroused
curiosity among the wives and families of the latter, and he became the
recipient of some social attentions. He accepted every invitation, and
so well did h