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Show Riraraek : '.Trail In stocks, We're ahead. If the mlne'i Cone - bu'st she's don nicely by us, at that." f ' - -v ';- Kack of Sandy's talk thoughts formed In his bruin that held a good deal of comfort. Molly was no longer an heiress, If Westlake's news was true. Molly would not have to bo hack east. Her relations with the Keiths would be brokec. "I figger you're right about KeltU trailln' over here to see If yo'Vva showed," Sandy went on. "That's the way I'd play him. As you say, he'i got to git rid of his shares quietly an' he can't do It In a rush. I don't want to tell Molly she's bu'st ed until we're plumb certain. An' Keith's o money of hers. If he don't show Inside In-side of a couple of days I'll take a pnsear over to Casey Town an' hav a ll'l chat with him. "Young Keith sabe his father'! play?" asked Sandy. "No." Westluke spoke decidedly. "He's not Interested In mining. He's on the trip because his father holds the purse strings. He's a good deal of a cub, at present.. I mean he' don't show much Inclination to use his brains. He's a likable kid In many ways, but he's Just a kid." " 'Tw'uldn't be fair to hold anythln' sg'ln him, 'count of his breedln'," onld Sandy, "but colts that ain't bred right . j CHAPTER XVI Continued. 14 She said gnod-by to Slolly, who had swiftly changed out of her riding clothes into a gown that looked simple enough to Sandy, though he sensed there were touches about It that differentiated it from anvthlng turned out locally. With the 'dress she looked more womanly, older, than In the boyish breeches. Miss Nicholson Nichol-son had made some changes also, but she had a chameieon-Uke faculty of blending with the background that preserved her alike from being criticized criti-cized or conspicuous. As she shook hands with Miranda the two presented present-ed marked contrasts. Miranda was twentieth-century-western, of equal rights and equal enterprise; Miss Nicholson mid-Victorian, with no more use for a vote than for one of Sandy's guns. Yet likable. "I'm going to Daddy's grave," said Molly, when Mirandu had fllvvered off. "I wish the three of you would come there to me In about ten minutes. min-utes. Miss Nicholson, everybody's at home here. Please do anything you want to, nothing you don't want to." At the end of the ten minutes the ; three men walked together toward the cottonwoods. Grit was lying on the grave, and they saw Molly kneeling kneel-ing by the little railing. They advanced ad-vanced silently over the turf and stood In a group about her with their hats off and their heads bowed. Grit made no move and Molly did not look up for two or three minutes. Then she greeted them with a smile. There were no tear-signs on her face though her eyes were moist. "I wanted to thank you all," she said, "and to tell you how glad 1 am to be back, I have met lots of people, of all sorts and kinds, but not one of them who could hold a candle to any of you three kind, true-hearted friends. I wanted to do It here where Daddy Is In the place you gave him and made for him under the trees, close to the running water. I was only a girl a kiddie when I went away. I think I am a great deal older now, perhaps, than other girls of my age. And I realize all you have done for me. The only thing Is, 1 don't know how to begin to thank you." She went to Mormon and took hold of both bis hands, her head raised, lln, mii-vari in trfea him Ifnrmnn By J. ALLAN DUNN AlhyffAM,nt,lU,SUu.'ttc OopfrtglH, isa, by J. Allan Dona "Aw, shucks!" protested Sam. "I'm no musician.' "You are," she said gayly. "Tou' are my Three Wise Men of the West. You are all magicians. You took me out of the desert, you have made life beautiful for me. Don't dispel the Illusion, Soda-Water Sam. I'd rather hear you play 'El Capitun' than listen to the Philharmonic orchestra." "Whatever that Is," answered Sam. CHAPTER XVII Westlake Brings News. In the week that followed, the partners part-ners of the Three Star managed to find many hours for holiday-making. The ranch ran well on Its own routine, rou-tine, and Molly was a princess to be entertained. Kate Nicholson emerged from her chrysalis and became almost a butterfly rather than the pale gray moth they had fancied her. Even Miranda revised her opinion. The Nicholsons, It came out, had been a family of some consequence and a fair degree of riches In South Carolina Caro-lina before an unfortunate speculation specula-tion had taken everything. Kate Nicholson, left alone soon afterward, hud assumed the role of governess or companion with more or less success and drifted on, submerged sub-merged In the families who had used her services, until Keith .had secured her for the post with Molly when things had seemed particularly black. Now, riding with Molly, with Sam and Sandy for escorts, over the open range or up Into the canyons, on picnics, the years slid on from her. She laughed understanding and talked spontaneously. spontane-ously. Evenings, when they would return to the disconsolate Mormon, who bewailed openly his lack of saddle ease, they found, two nights out of three, Miranda Bailey, self-charioted self-charioted In her flivver with offerings of cake and doughnuts to supplement Pedro's still uncertain elTorU. Molly chuckled once to Sandy. "Miranda's a dear," she said. "I wish she'd marry Mormon. But Kate Nicholson Is a far better cook than she is. Only she won't do anything for fear of hurting Ml anda's feel-Ines." "I had no Idea Miss Casey would be like what she Is," said Westlake, as Miranda Bailey, Mormon In attendant, attend-ant, came out of the house. "Time fo' me to be trailin back," said the spinster. "Moon's risln'. Good night, Mr. Westlake. See you ag'ln before you go, I hope." She climbed Into the machine, which Mormon cranked. It moved off, Mormon watching It. Then'Snm came out and Joined them. "Gels gone to bed," he announced. "What's Keith doln up to Cusey Town, Westlake?" ' "It won't take long to tell you." The four walked over to the corral and the three partners climbed on the top rail, ranch-fashion. Westlake stood before them. "Practically nil the gold found In Casey Town comes from, the mnin gulch where the creek runs. The gulch was once non-existent. It Is likely there was a hill there. Its nub was a porphyry cap; the rest of It was composed of layers of porphyry and valueless rock dipping downward, nested like saucers in the synclinal layers. Ice and water wore off the nub and leveled the hill, then gouged out the gulch. They ground away. In my belief, all the porphyry that held gold except the portions now lying either side of the gulch. "It was the top layers that held the richest ore. Of those that are left only one carries It and that Is the reef that outcrops here and there both sides of the gulch. This Isn't theory. All strikes have been made in this top layer. Where they have sunk through to a lower porphyry stratum they have found only Indications Indica-tions where they found anything at all. But the strikes were rich because be-cause sylvanlte Is one of the richest of all gold ores. Some of the strikes have been on the Keith Group properties. prop-erties. They have boosted the stock of all of them. "I have been developing these group projects. The value of group promotion, to the promoter, Is, that as long as, one claim shows promise, the shares keep selling. The public loves to gamble. Keith came back this trip and proposed to purchase a lot of claims that are nothing but plain rock, surface dirt and sage-brush. He can buy them for almost nothing. But he does not propose to sell them for Ummlm They Have Taken All the Sylvanlte Out of Your Mine and Keith Is Try Ing to Cover Up the Fact." aiCS vua Ttsu vw esauw ueeua tuui uiuu stooped and turned his weathered cheek, but Molly kissed him full on the Hps. So with Sam, despite the enormous mustache. Then she came to Sandy, taller than the others, his face grave, under control, the eagerness eager-ness smothered in his eyes, desire checked by reverence for the pure affection af-fection of the offered salute. He fancied fan-cied that her lips trembled for a moment mo-ment as they rested softly warm, upon his own. But the tremor might have been his own. He knew his heart was pounding against the slight touch of her ' slenderness that was manifest with womanhood. His arms ached with the restraint he set upon them, in the presence of Mormon and Sam. "I've brought somi things for you," said Molly. "Just presents that I bought In shops. But I wanted to Yet the governess did cook on occasion, occa-sion, trout thnt they caught In the mountain streams, and camp biscuits and fragrant coffee when they made excursions, so deft a presiding genius of the camp-fire that Sam declared she belonged to Sageland. "I love It," she answered, sleeves tucked to the elbow, stooping over the fire, her face full of color, tucking a vagrant wisp of hair into place, e e e e e Sam had stopper playing, Kate Nicholson was weaving chords In music mu-sic unknown to those who listened, save that it seemed to speak some common language that had been forgotten for-gotten since childhood. The fire shifted, shift-ed, there was silence In the big room. Mormon sat shading his face, Miranda Bailey beside him, her knitting idle. Sara lounged in a shady corner near the harmonium. Grit lay asleep. It was Infinitely peaceful. There was the sound of a motor outside, the honk of a horn. The door opened and a man came in, gazing uncertainly un-certainly about him In the half-light Westlake. "This is the Three Star, Isn't itT" he asked, evidently puzzled at the group. Sandy lit the big lamp as they all rose, Grit nosing the engineer, accepting accept-ing him. "Sure Is." he said. "You know Miss Bailey, Westlake? Miss Keith an' Miss Nicholson, Mr. Westlake. They both know something about you. Come to stay, I hope.'" His voice was cordial as he gripped Westlake's hand, though the remembrance remem-brance of what Sam had said at the mining rnmp leaped up within him. Westlake and Molly I Here was a man who might mate with her, might suit her wonderfully well. Upstanding, Upstand-ing, educated, no lightweight pleasure-seeker, pleasure-seeker, as be estimated Iloreld Keith. Here was a complication In his dreams of happiness that he had lost mat. tie was going to start another group. He ordered me to make the preliminary surveys. "He knew one would have as much chance digging In a New York back yard. I told him so. He has his own expert, and, If he didn't tell him so too, he's a crook. "Keith said he understood his business busi-ness and suggested I should attend strictly to mine. I was hot. I suggested sug-gested that wildcat development was not my business. He called me a quixotic young fool, among other things, and I may have called him a robber. I'm not sure. Anyway, I quit. "I'm comparatively a kid. But I know what Is going on generally In Casey Town.' There have been no more strikes, for one thing; the discoveries dis-coveries have all been In the one layer and they are gradually working out Keith would rather develop a good property than a bnd one. He carries his Investing clients from one proposition to another. He never has to risk his own money and he has been lucky. He has made money-lots money-lots of It. Now, then, why does he start wlldcatting? I believe he's been stung somewhere. I know he's been fooling with oil stocks. His mail's full of It. And I believe he's been bitten by the other fellow's game Instead of sticking to his own." "It's been done befo'." "But that Isn't all." Westlake brought down his right fist Into the palm of his left hand for emphasis. "Yesterday they closed up the stupes In the Molly. Boarded 'em oer. This was done without consul! ing me. I heard of It after I had walked out of Keith's ollice, resigned, or fired. "Now, then there's no gold left bnck of the hoarding In those stopes practically none! The Molly Is played out, picked like a walnut of lis meat! If they do develop down to the second sec-ond porphyry level they won't find anything to pay for the work. They bear watchin. Now tell us some about that South American berth of yours, Westlake." Westlake rather marveled at the ease with which Sandy and his chums (Jsmlssed a matter that meant a material ma-terial loss of money to them, but he had seen the light In Sandy's eye and he knew his capacity for action when the moment arrived. The four sat up late, talking of mining In various ways and places. "This Westlake hombre'll go I long ways," summed up Sam to Sandy after Westlake had turned Ip and Mormon had yawned himself off to bed. "lie sure knows a heap, he don't brag, he's on the square, an' he ain't afraid of work." That Westlake won approval from Molly, and also from Kate Nicholson, was patent before breakfast was over the next morning. A buyer came out from Hereford demanding Sandy's attention at-tention and he stayed at the ranch while the three and Sam went off saddleback. Westlake had expressed a desire to see the ranch and Molly had volunteered to display her own renewed knowledge of It. The buyer looked at' the Three Star stock with export eyes and made bids that were highly snllsfactory. "Better beef, better prices, that's the modern slogan," he said at the noon meal with Sandy and Mormon. "I see you believe In it. I heard some talk In Hereford this morning of trouble atone ranch not far from here. A horse ranch run by a man named rilmsoll. WnterPne rnneh. I think they call It. I have a commission from a man In Chicago to look up some horses for hli i and I had heard of rilmsoll before, not over-favorably. I understand he Ic not fussy over brands." "He's got a big herd," said Sandy noncommltally. "Claims to round up slick-ears wild hawsses. What was the trouble?" "General row among the crowd, far as I could mnke out. rilmsoll shot nt one of his men named Wyatt. I believe, and started to run him off the ranch. There were sides taken and shots fired." "News to me," said Sandy. He was not especially Interested In Wiiterllne happenings so long as rilmsoll remained re-mained set. The buyer left and the rest of the day went slowly. When the quartet returned, Molly and Westlake were obviously more than mere acquaintances. Sandy felt out of the running, though Molly held him In the conversation. Miranda Ballev. driving over, created cre-ated a welcome diversion. "I've brought a telegram out for you, Mr. Westlake," she said. The engineer read It and passer It to Molly. Sandy saw her face g'ow. k, "That's fine!" she exclaimed. "I'.tr I It meiine you've got to go. I'm so-tv . I .'or that."' I (TO TR COMTINL'KD ) I i "If you can put np with me. for a bit," said Westlake. "I've come partly on business, Bourke. I've left Casey Town. I came over with a machine from the garage at Hereford. I'll get my things and send him back." Sandy went outside with him and helped him with his grips. The machine ma-chine started. "Quit Keith?" asked Sandy. "Yes; we bad a misunderstanding. About my staying here, Bourke. It may be a bit awkward. Young Donald Don-ald Keith Intends coming over. I sm sure he doesn't know a thing about his father's business affairs. But I have a strong bunch that Keith himself him-self will be along later to offset any talk he thinks I may have with you. He'll figure I've come here. He doesn't know all that I have found out, st that. If It's likely to embarrass you or your guests In the least 111 go on to Denver tomorrow. I'm headed that way. I've got a South American proposition In view. Wired them yesterday yes-terday and ms hear at any minute." "Shucks!" said Sandy. ' "Yo re my friend. Yor.ng Keith don'J Interest mo, Rnvff as Molly wants to entertain him. I'm under no obligations to Keith blmse'f. Yo're my guest an' we'll kwp you's long we can hold you In the corral." i have taken all the sylvanlte out of your mine and Keith Is trying to cover up the fact." Westlake stopptd and eyed thera. Sandy's eyes closed slightly. "Keith can't help the mine peterln' out," he said. "Jest why Is he hld!n' it? So's he can unload V "Plain enough. Now the Molly mine rtock Isn't or. the market. It Is all owned, as I understand, by Miss Casey and you three holding the controlling con-trolling Interest. Keith the rest. It's been paying dividends from the start. Keith will try to unload. He may try to sell It to you." "Not likely. He doesn't expect us to have the money. We haven't. I take It he can't dump 'em In a hurry. That's why he's boardin' the stopes. If he don't trail over here In a day rr so I'll shack over to Casey Town fo' r in chat. Much obliged to you. Westlake." Westiti!;e nodded. He understood that quiet drawl of Sandy's. If Hi" H'l chat came off, Ke'tli would rut en.loy himself, he fancied. "The n."'"'''1"" ,s u,,nt "",v" '" make an' when to make It. If Molly Is one thing she Is game. We've got a good deal out of the mine an" It's all come so far from the sale of gold to the mint, I take It. We don't dabble He Fancied That Her Lips Trembled for a Moment as They Rested Softly Warm Upon Hia Own. thank you out here where Daddy lies." She sought their glances, searching to see If they understood, satisfied. "We're sure glad to git back the Mascot of the Three Star," aald Mormon. Mor-mon. "An" the sooner yon git through beln' eddlcated an' come back fo' keep, the better," amended Sam. Sandy said nothing but smiled at her and Molly smiled back again. 1 think you have been my mascot rather than me yours. I've still got my luck piece," and she pulled out cf her neck, suspended by a fine chain of gold, the gold piece with which Sandy had won the stake that had started her east. "Now show me all the Improvements. We'll get Kate Nicholson. She e a first-class scout if you ever get her out of the shell she eraw led Into a long time ago when fler folks suddenly lost everything tney bnd. If we had a piano, Sam, ne's play the soul out of your body. U nit until she gets at the harmonium enlght. Yu nnd she will have to lay iVi"ts Sum, you on the three-I three-I 4-l."! hi. rmonlca I gut for you," j |