joy, an
ecstasy, a sense of well-wishing for mankind; and yet it was only he
who had changed. The world was the same; Samuel Blount was the same;
and the miners, and Stiff Neck George. They were all there together in
a rough-and-tumble fight to see who would get the Paymaster Mine and,
even with the madness of her kiss in his soul, he pressed on towards
the one, fixed goal.

He had set out to win the Paymaster and win it he would if he had to
shoot his way to victory. For Stiff Neck George, like a watchful coyote,
had taken up his post on the hill; and from that sign alone Wiley knew
that Blount had changed his tactics and appealed to the court of last
resort. His attachments had failed, his injunction suit had failed, and
his cheap attempt to cut off Wiley's checks. The money had come,
promptly forwarded by the Express Company with a note of apology from
the buyer, and it lay now in Wiley's office safe. All that was left to
do was to send it to Blount and get back the deed to the property. Three
days remained before the bond and lease expired, but that was not a day
too much. The question was--who to send? Wiley thought the matter over,
glanced at George up on the hill, and sent a note down to Virginia.

She came up the trail smiling, for her proud reserve had vanished, and
she even allowed him a kiss; but when he asked her to take the money to
Blount she drew back and shook her head.

"I'm afraid," she said, "--I'm afraid something might happen. Can't you
send it by somebody else?"

"No, that's just the point," he answered gravely. "Something is likely
to happen if I do. My lawyer has turned crooked, and the bank won't
touch it; so there's nobody to send but you. You can hide the money till
you get there, so that no one will rob you on the way; and if anybody
asks you, you can tell them about that stock deal and that you're going
down to hold up Blount."

"Why don't you go?" she objected and he pointed out the doorway at Stiff
Neck George on the hill.

"There he sits," he said, "like a red-necked old buzzard, just waiting
for a chance to jump my mine. He may do it, anyhow--I wouldn't put it
past him--but if he comes he'd better come a-shooting. You see, here's
the point: the man that holds this mine can turn out ten thousand
dollars a day, and that amount of money would hire enough lawyers to
fight the outsiders to a standstill. If I get jumped I'm licked, because
I haven't got any more money; and I'm going to