interest as a sop to the farmers? Do you see? That's
your millionaire method--and it's what makes 'em in the first place."

He drew a large fancy handkerchief from his pistol-pocket and wiped the
beads from the bridge of his limber nose. But they reappeared again.

"Now," he said, "I am satisfied that, working very carefully, we can
secure options on every acre of the four thousand. There is money in it
either way and any way we work it; we get it coming and going. First of
all, if the Siowitha people find that they really cannot get on without
controlling these acres--why"--and he snickered so that his nose curved
into a thin, ruddy beak--"why, Captain, I suppose we _could_ let them
have the land. Eh? Oh, yes--if they _must_ have it!"

Selwyn frowned slightly.

"But the point is," continued Neergard, "that it borders the railroad on
the north; and where the land is not wavy it's flat as a pancake,
and"--he sank his husky voice--"it's fairly riddled with water. I paid a
thousand dollars for six tests."

"Water!" repeated Selwyn wonderingly; "why, it's dry as a desert!"

"_Underground water_!--only about forty feet on the average. Why, man, I
can hit a well flowing three thousand gallons almost anywhere. It's a
gold mine. I don't care what you do with the acreage--split it up into
lots and advertise, or club the Siowitha people into submission--it's
all the same; it's a gold mine--to be swiped and developed. Now there
remains the title searching and the damnable job of financing
it--because we've got to move cautiously, and knock softly at the doors
of the money vaults, or we'll be waking up some Wall Street relatives or
secret business associates of the yellow crowd; and if anybody bawls
for help we'll be up in the air next New Year's, and still hiking
skyward."

He stood up, gathering together the mail matter which his secretary had
already opened for his attention. "There's plenty of time yet; their
leases were renewed the first of this year, and they'll run the year
out. But it's something to think about. Will you talk to Gerald, or
shall I?"

"You," said Selwyn. "I'll think the matter over and give you my opinion.
May I speak to my brother-in-law about it?"

Neergard turned in his tracks and looked almost at him.

"Do you think there's any chance of his financing the thing?"

"I haven't the slightest idea of what he might do. Especially"--he
hesitated--"as you never have had any loans from his people--I