he past; and how not only Kracker and his kind had
annoyed the widow of the dead prospector, but this sly old lawyer as
well, all of them imbued with the same mad desire to learn where the
hidden mine was located.

He related numerous instances that almost amounted to persecution,
whereby Uncle Artemus had tried to force the widow, through stress of
poverty, to sell him the secret he believed she carried locked in her
breast; until presently Thad saw by the angry glow in those blue eyes
of the sheriff that he had accomplished the aim he had in view.

Meanwhile the old lawyer had been on needles and pins. He jumped up
and sat down again half a dozen times. Of course he could easily
understand that Thad was trying to wean the sheriff away from his
duty; and there were signs that told Uncle Artemus this very thing was
gradually being accomplished before his very eyes.

He could not stand it much longer, and finally he advanced toward the
spot where the sheriff and the two scouts stood.

Thad had no longer the slightest fear that his work would be
undermined. He knew that Sheriff Bob would not longer lend his
official stamp to any such underhand work as that which this "slick"
lawyer from Denver was endeavoring to carry out. And so he could view
the coming of the other without anxiety.

"I hope you haven't allowed yourself to be at all influenced by any
specious story you've listened to, Mr. Sheriff," the old man started
to say.

The officer drew his capacious hand across his chin, as though
collecting his thoughts, in order to frame a suitable reply.

"I've been listening to some mighty interesting facts, Mr. Rawson," he
said.

"Lies, every one of them, I warrant you, sir," snapped the lawyer, who
began to feel that he was losing his grip on the case right then and
there, since this little whipper-snapper of a leader among these boys
appeared more capable of swaying the sheriff than he could himself do.

"Oh! I don't know about that, Mr. Rawson," the sheriff went on, his
eyes losing some of their twinkle, and a steely look taking its place,
which Thad understood must be his official face; "I know a heap more'n
I did about things when I agreed to take this here warrant, and
execute the same for you, by arresting a lad you claimed was your
nephew, which was true; and who had been stealing valuable papers from
you, which I reckon was only a yarn."

"Do you mean to say you'd take the word of a mere half-grown boy