ining of letters of administration,
blocking his executors from giving a proxy. It was as mean a
trick as ever was played."

"The G. S. is a tough customer to fight," I remarked, and asked,
"Why didn't you burn the letters?" really wishing they had done
so.

"We feared duplicate proxies might get through in time, and
thought that by keeping these we might cook up a question as to
which were legal, and then by injunction prevent the use of
either."

"And those Englishmen," I inquired, "are they real?"

"Oh, certainly," he rejoined. "They were visiting my brother, and
thought the whole thing great larks." Then he told me how the
thing had been done. They had sent Miss Cullen to my car, so as
to get me out of the way, though she hadn't known it. He and his
brother got off the train at the last stop, with the guns and
masks, and concealed themselves on the platform of the mail-car.
Here they had been joined by the Britishers at the right moment,
the disguises assumed, and the train held up as already told. Of
course the dynamite cartridge was only a blind, and the letters
had been thrown about the car merely to confuse the clerk. Then
while Frederic Cullen, with the letters, had stolen back to the
car, the two Englishmen had crept back to where they had stood.
Here, as had been arranged, they opened fire, which Albert Cullen
duly returned, and then joined them. "I don't see now how you
spotted us," Frederic ended.

I told him, and his disgust was amusing to see. "Going to Oxford
may be all right for the classics," he growled, "but it's
destructive to gumption."

We rode into camp a pretty gloomy crowd, and those of the party
waiting for us there were not much better; but when Lord Ralles
dismounted and showed up in his substitute for trousers there was
a general shout of laughter. Even Miss Cullen had to laugh for a
moment. And as his lordship bolted for his tent, I said to
myself, "Honors are easy."

I told the sheriff that I had recovered the lost property, but
did not think any arrests necessary as yet; and, as he was the
agent of the K. & A. at Flagstaff, he didn't question my opinion.
I ordered the stage out, and told Tolfree to give us a feed
before we started, but a more silent meal I never sat down to,
and I noticed that Miss Cullen didn't eat anything, while the
tragic look on her face was so pathetic as nearly to drive me
frantic.

We started a little after five, and were clear of the timber
before