new it the moment I met him this morning.
Felicitations, Don Miguel. John intends to strip you down to your
birthday suit--fairly, of course--so keep up the good work, and
everything may still turn out right for you. I'll cheer for you, at
any rate."

"Thank you, dear Mrs. Parker." Don Miguel slipped into his seat at the
head of the table. "I have also attached Loustalot's new automobile,"

"You Shylock! What else?" Mrs. Parker demanded eagerly.

"About ten thousand sheep, more or less. I attached these on
suspicion, although the burden of proving that Loustalot owns them will
be upon me. However," he concluded, with a bright glance at Parker, "I
believe that can readily be accomplished--with your aid."

"I shall be the poorest witness in the world, Mr. Farrel."

"Well, I shall see to it, Mr. Parker, that you are given an opportunity
to tell the judge of the Superior Court in El Toro why Loustalot called
on you this morning, why a great band of sheep is trespassing on the
Rancho Palomar, why Loustalot drew a check in your favor for fifty
thousand dollars, why you declined to take it, what you said to
Loustalot this morning to cause him to steal one of my horses in his
anxiety to get off the ranch, why your attorneys drew up a certain
lease of the grazing-privilege to Loustalot, and why the deal fell
through."

Parker flushed.

"Can you produce that fifty-thousand-dollar check? I happen to know it
has not been cashed."

"No, I cannot, Mr. Parker."

Kay opened her purse and tossed the check across to her father.

"It was drawn in your favor, dad," she informed him; "so I concluded it
was your property, and when Mr. Farrel came by it--ah, illegally--and
showed it to me, I retained it."

"Good girl! Mr. Farrel, have you any objection to my returning this
check?"

"Not the slightest. It has served its purpose. However, you will have
to wait until you meet Loustalot somewhere outside the boundaries of
the Rancho Palomar, sir. I had comforted myself with the thought that
he was safe under lock and key here, but, to my vast surprise, I met
him in the bank at El Toro making futile efforts to withdraw his cash
before I could attach the account. The confounded ingrate informs me
that Mr. Okada turned him loose."

There was no mistaking the disapproval in the glance which Parker
turned upon Okada.

"Is this true, Mr. Okada?"

"It is not true," Okada replied promptly. "I know nozzing about.
Nozzing