insolently from one to the other.

"Aha!" she exclaimed, "so you're talking it over,--how to take advantage
of a poor widow! But I want to tell you now, and I don't care who knows
it, I've been imposed upon long enough. Here you sit in your office,
both of you worth up into the millions, and discuss the division of your
spoils; while the daughter and the widow of the man that found this mine
are slaving away in a restaurant."

"Yes, I'm sorry, Mrs. Huff," interposed Blount, smiling gently. "We were
just discussing your case. But it often happens that the best of us err
in judgment, and in this case I've been caught worse than you were. Yes,
I must admit that when I first heard about this tungsten and realized
that I had sold out for nothing, I was moved for the moment to resent
it; but under the circumstances----"

"Aw, what are you talking about?" demanded the Widow scornfully. "Don't
you think I can see through your game? You pretend to be enemies until
you get hold of my stock and then you come out into the open. I always
knew you were partners, but now I can prove it; because here you are,
thick as thieves."

"Yes, we're friendly," admitted Blount with a painful smile at Wiley,
"but Wiley owns the mine. That is, he owns a bond and lease on the
property, with the option of buying for fifty thousand dollars. And then
besides that, I regret to say, he has an option on all my stock."

"Oh! Yes!" scoffed the Widow. "You've been cleaned by this
whipper-snapper that's just a few months out of college! He's taken
away your mine and your stock and everything--but of course you don't
mind a little thing like that. But what I want to know, and I came
here to find out, is which of you has got my stock--because I'll tell
you right now----" she whipped out her pistol and brandished it in the
air--"I'll tell you right now I intend to get it back or kill the one
or both of you!"

Blount's lips framed a lie, and then he glanced at Wiley, who was
standing with his hand by his gun.

"Well, now, Mrs. Huff," he began at a venture, "I--perhaps this can all
be arranged."

"No! I want that stock!" cried the Widow in hot anger, "and I'm going to
get it, too!"

"Why--why yes," stammered Blount, "but you see it was this way--I had no
idea of the value of the stock. And so when Wiley came to see me I gave
him an option on it for--well, I believe it was five cents a share."

"Ah!" triumphed the Widow, whirling to train her gun on W