under the law, you're responsible for the acts of
your agents?"

"That's all right, that's all right," burst out Blount impatiently,
"I'll never hire him again. He refused to obey my orders and----"

"_And_ he tried to kill me!" broke in Wiley angrily, but Blount had
thrown up both hands.

"Oh, now, Wiley," he protested, "why can't we be reasonable? Why can't
we get together on this?"

"We can," returned Wiley, "but you've got to show me that you're not
trying to jump my claim."

"Oh, you know," exclaimed Blount, "as well as I do that a tax sale is
never binding. The owners of the property are given five years'
time----"

"It is binding," corrected Wiley, "until the property is bought
back--and I happen to be holding the deed. Now, here's the point--what
authority have you got for coming in here and working this property?"

"Well, you may as well know," replied Blount shortly, "that I own a
majority of the stock."

"Aha!" burst out Wiley. "I was listening for that. So you're the Honest
John?"

"What do you mean?" demanded Blount and, seeing the anger in his eyes,
he hastened to head off the storm. "No, now listen to me, Wiley; it's
not the way you think. I knew your father well, and I always found him
the soul of honor; but I never liked to say anything, because Colonel
Huff was my partner, too. So, when this trouble arose, I tried to remain
neutral, without joining sides with either. It pained me very much to
have people make remarks reflecting upon the honesty of your father, but
as the confidant of both it was hardly in good taste for me to give out
what I knew. So I let the matter go, hoping that time would heal the
breach; but now that the Colonel is dead----"

"Aha!" breathed Wiley and Blount nodded his head lugubriously.

"Yes," he said, "that is the way it was. Your father was absolutely
honest."

"Well, but who sold the stock, and then bought it back--and put all the
blame on my father?"

"I can't tell you," answered Blount. "I never speak evil of the
dead--but the Colonel was a very poor business man."

"Yes, he was," agreed Wiley, and then, after a silence: "How did it
happen that you got all his stock?"

"Well, on mortgages and notes; and now as collateral on a loan that I
made his widow. I own a clean majority of the stock."

"Oh, you do, eh?" observed Wiley and rubbed his jaw thoughtfully while
Blount looked mildly on. "Well, what are you going to do?"

"Why, I'd like to buy back tha