s all, Rose."

His follower vanished through the doorway and closed the door softly
after him. John Mark stood up and paced quietly up and down the room. At
length he turned abruptly on the girl. "Good night. I have business that
takes me out."

"What is it?" she asked eagerly.

He paused, as if in doubt as to how he should answer her, if he answered
at all. "In the old days," he said at last, "when a man caught a poacher
on his grounds, do you know what he did?"

"No."

"Shot him, my dear, without a thought and threw his body to the wolves!"

"John Mark! Do you mean--"

"Your friend Ronicky, of course."

"Only because Caroline was foolish are you going to--"

"Caroline? Tut, tut! Caroline is only a small part of it. He has done
more than that--far more, this poacher out of the West!"

He turned and went swiftly through the door. The moment it was closed
the girl buried her face in her hands.

Chapter Fifteen

_The Girl Thief_

Before that death sentence had been passed on him Ronicky Doone stood
before the door of his room, with the trembling girl beside him.

"Wait here," he whispered to her. "Wait here while I go in and wake him
up. It's going to be the greatest moment in his life! Poor Bill Gregg is
going to turn into the richest man in New York City--all in one moment!"

"But I don't dare go in. It will mean--"

"It will mean everything, but it's too late to turn back now. Besides,
in your heart of hearts, you don't want to turn back, you know!"

Quickly he passed into the room and hurried to the bed of Bill Gregg.
Under the biting grip of Doone's hand Bill Gregg writhed to a sitting
posture, with a groan. Still he was in the throes of his dream and only
half awakened.

"I've lost her," he whispered.

"You're wrong, idiot," said Ronicky softly, "you're wrong. You've won
her. She's at the door now, waiting to come in."

"Ronicky," said Bill Gregg, suddenly awake, "you've been the finest
friend a man ever had, but, if you make a joke out of her, I'll wring
your neck!"

"Sure you would. But, before you do that, jump into your clothes and
open the door."

Sleep was still thick enough in the brain of Bill Gregg to make him obey
automatically. He stumbled into his clothes and then shambled dizzily to
the door and opened it. As the light from the room struck down the hall
Ronicky saw his friend stiffen to his full height and strike a hand
across his face.

"Stars and Stripes!" exclai