political convention sometimes. The reason for it is: the crowd is ripe
and the head steer gives the right bellow--and off they go!"

Colonel Dodd grabbed his nephew by the elbow and rushed him off the
stage and into an anteroom.

"Is that matter on the hair-trigger, Richard?" he demanded.

"It's ready to be snapped any minute."

The colonel whipped out his check-book and began to write. "It's as old
Saunders said," he muttered as he wrote. "And we've got to rope, throw,
and tie that one steer."

The check was for five thousand dollars!

Young Dodd seized it, and when his uncle hurried back upon the stage the
nephew, through the door which was left open, beckoned to Mullaney. The
detective came, hurrying past Colonel Dodd, who stared until the door
had closed behind young Dodd and the officer.

"But he's my own nephew!" he assured himself, as if he were replying to
an accusation laid against Richard Dodd. He shook his head and sat down
in his chair. "I wonder how long it has been since old Bob Mullaney put
a price of that size on his secrets! I'm afraid Richard hasn't the Dodd
ability to drive a sharp trade."

But Richard was showing considerable ability in that line behind the
door of the anteroom.

He jammed two hundred and fifty dollars in crumpled bills into the
detective's hands, cleaning out his pockets for the purpose. He had
slipped the check into his deepest pocket the moment his uncle had
handed it to him.

"It was hard work to screw him up, Mullaney. You have seen how I worked
him. This is all he gave me--two hundred and fifty. Take it and spring
your trap."

"You don't look honest," grumbled the detective. "If I'm any kind of a
guesser you're holding out on me."

"That's your price. You agreed. There isn't any time to argue this. Give
me back the money." He grabbed the bills from Mullaney's clutch. It was
magnificent bluff. "I'll hand it to my uncle. He isn't very keen on the
thing, anyway."

"I'll take it--give it back. I'll apologize," pleaded Mullaney.

"Will you swear to keep all this under your hat--the whole thing? Uncle
says if you dare to speak to him about it--hint to him or anybody that
he paid money for anything on Farr--he'll deny the story and have your
license taken away."

"I promise--swear it," Mullaney agreed.

Dodd returned the money, and the detective started out on the trot.

"You come, too, and I'll tell you on the way. Time is short. You'd
better help me," he advis