ng them out of Christian charity from the dangers of the
road until they reach the Promised Land."

"I see," said Thorne, reflectively. "Whereabouts lays this Promised
Land?"

"About sixty mile due south."

"You sure to get them all there safe and sound--I suppose you'd be
willing to guarantee that nothing's going to happen to them, Buck?"

"I give my word on that, Tom."

"All right," said Thorne, evidently relieved. He threw his leg over the
horn of his saddle. "How about that little dispossession matter, deputy?
You ain't reported on that."

"It's all done and finished."

"Have any trouble?"

"Nary trouble," said Senor Buck Johnson, blandly, "all went off quiet
and serene."

THE ROAD AGENT

CHAPTER I

The Sierra Nevadas of California are very wide and very high. Kingdoms
could be lost among the defiles of their ranges. Kingdoms have been
found there. One of them was Bright's Cove.

It happened back in the seventies. Old Man Bright was prospecting. He
had come up from the foothills accompanied by a new but stolid Indian
wife. After he had grubbed around a while on old Italian bar and had
succeeded in washing out a little colour, she woke up and took a slight
interest in the proceedings.

"You like catch dat?" she grunted, contemptuously. "Heap much over
dere!"

She waved an arm. Old Man Bright girded his loins and packed his
jackass. After incredible scramblings the two succeeded in surmounting
the ranges and in dropping sheer to the mile-wide round valley through
which flowed the river--the broad, swift mountain river, with the
snow-white rapids and the swirling translucent green of very thick
grass. They were very glad to reach the grass at the bottom, but a
little doubtful on how to get out. The big mountains took root at the
very edge of the tiny round valley; the river flowed out of a gorge at
one end and into a gorge at the other.

"Guess the sun don't rise here 'til next morning," commented Old Man
Bright. The squaw was too busy even to grunt.

In six years Old Man Bright was worth six million dollars, all taken
from the ledges of Bright's Cove. Of this amount he had been forced to
let go of a small proportion for mill machinery and labour. He had also
invested twenty-five thousand dollars in a road. It was a steep road,
and a picturesque. It wound in and out and around, by loops, lacets, and
hairpins, dropping down the face of the mountain in unheard-of grades
and turns. Not