ft fist
and staggered back, dropping into a chair. Rathburn looked at him
coldly.

"Funny you're so anxious to take my word for things now, when a minute
ago you said you couldn't know but what I'd told that holdup story for
a blind so's I could get away with--_this_!"

The wrappings fell away, revealing a wad of blank paper.

Rathburn's face froze. Sautee stared white-faced at what the other
held in his hand. Then a peculiar glint came into his eyes and he
looked at Rathburn narrowly.

"So that's the way of it," he said sarcastically.

Rathburn stuffed the paper into a pocket. Then he pulled a chair in
front of the mines manager and sat down. He took out paper and tobacco
from his shirt pocket and began to fashion a cigarette.

"It sure looks bad for me, doesn't it, Mr. Sautee?" he asked as he
snapped a match into flame.

"I thought you were going to return the money," Sautee said
sneeringly.

"It looks bad two ways," Rathburn went on as if he hadn't heard the
other's comment. "First, if that package the holdups got had contained
the money you could have swore it was a put-up job. I'd have had to
beat it fast. Now, when I find that the package you gave to me was
full of blank paper, you can say that I framed the holdup story and
changed the money for paper in the bargain."

Sautee's eyes were glowing. "An' you'll have to beat it, after all,"
he jeered.

"So it would seem," mused Rathburn. "I fooled 'em, an' to all
appearances I fooled myself, although maybe I _did_ take a peep into
that package when I changed it in my room, Mr. Sautee."

The mines manager shifted in his chair; but he stared defiantly at
Rathburn.

"You'd have a hard time proving anything," he said grimly.

"That's the trouble," Rathburn admitted. "I'd sort of have to depend
on you. I was thinkin' maybe you double crossed me to make 'em think
_I_ was carrying the money while you sneaked it up some other way, Mr.
Sautee."

"You can think what you want to," said Sautee. "But you better start
moving. If I was you, I'd get as far away from this town and Mannix as
I could by daylight."

Rathburn's manner underwent a lightning change as he threw away his
partly finished cigarette.

"You're right," he said crisply. "It's time to start moving, Sautee."

He rose, and his right hand moved incredibly fast. Sautee gasped as he
looked into the bore of Rathburn's gun. He could hardly realize that
Rathburn had drawn.

"I fooled the night ride