s
at our house for eighty thousand and Nelson more 'n half agreed to--"

"_Who?_"

Briskow looked up at the tone of this inquiry. "One of the fellers from
Wichita Falls. I s'pose he knowed the option was about run out; anyhow,
he's been holdin' me off from day to day till it's too late now fer me
to--"

"What is his name?" Gray broke in, sharply. "Name's Nelson. Bell
Nelson's son. Bell's hard-boiled, but--"

"Henry Nelson?"

"That's him."

Gray rose from his chair and strode swiftly to the window. He stood
there staring down into the street for a moment before saying, curtly,
"Go on!"

"You know them Nelsons?"

"I know--Henry."

"He's hard-boilder 'n his old man. They got a lot o' money behind
'em--too much money to act like he done with me. I sure hate to see him
git that Evans lease for next to nothin', after the way he done. I'd
call it cheat-in', but--well, I can't han'le it."

The man at the window wheeled suddenly and his face was white, his
brows were drawn down. "By God!" he cried, tensely. "He _won't_ get it.
Where's that option?"

"I got it right here." Briskow handed over a paper. "An' I got the hull
title abstrack, too. Had it all ready for Nelson."

When he had swiftly scanned the document, Gray said: "This deal means
little to you, Briskow, but it means much to me, and I'll make it worth
something to both of us. At first I thought the time was too short,
but--I work best when I work fast. You've had your chance and failed.
Now then, step aside and let a man run who knows how."

Mr. Roswell, president of the bank where Gray had first made himself
known, was a shrewd, forceful man who had attained a position in
business and arrived at a time of life when he could well afford to
indulge his likes and his dislikes. Those likes and dislikes were
strong, for his was a positive character. As is the case with most
successful men who pride themselves upon their cold caution and
business acumen--and Mr. Roswell did so pride himself--he really was a
person of impulse, and intuition played a much larger part in his
conduct of affairs than he would have acknowledged. Such people make
mistakes, but they also make friends; occasionally they read character
wrong, but they inspire loyalty, and big institutions are founded upon
friendship and loyalty as well as upon stability and fair dealing.

Roswell had liked Gray upon their first meeting, and that liking had
deepened. Owing to that fact, he had negle