astened to disclaim. "You haven't been
talking with Miss Chuckie about me, have you, Mr. Knowles?"

"No. Why?"

"It was only that I explained to her how I came to be ruined--to lose
my fortune. You see, the circumstances are such that I cannot very
well say anything against Blake; yet he was the cause--it was owing to
something he did that I lost all--everything--millions! Curse him!"

"You've appeared friendly enough towards him," remarked Knowles.

"Yes, I--I promised Miss Chuckie to try to forget the past. But when I
think of what I lost, all because of him--"

"So-o!" considered the cowman. "Maybe there's more in what Kid says
than I thought. He's been cross-questioning Blake all day. You know
how little Kid is given to gab. But from the time we started off he
kept after Blake like he was cutting out steers at the round-up."

"Blake isn't the kind you could get to tell anything against himself,"
asserted Ashton.

"Well, that may be. All his talk today struck me as being straightforward
and outspoken. But Kid has been drawing inferences. He keeps hammering
at it that Blake must be in thick with his father-in-law, and that all
millionaires round-up their money in ways that would make a rustler go
off and shoot himself."

"Business is business," replied Ashton with all his old cynicism.
"I'll not say that H. V. Leslie is crooked, but I never knew of his
coming out of a deal second best."

"Well, at any rate, it's white of Blake to tell us beforehand what he
intends to do if he sees a chance of a practical project."

"Has he told you everything?" scoffed Ashton.

"How about his offer to drop the whole matter and not go into it at
all?" rejoined Knowles.

Ashton hesitated to reply. For one thing, he was momentarily
nonplused, and, for another, the Blakes had treated him as a
gentleman. But a fresh upwelling of bitterness dulled his conscience
and sharpened his wits.

"It may have been to throw you off your guard," he said. "Blake is
deep, and he has had old Leslie to coach him ever since he married
Genevieve. He could have laid his plans,--looked over the ground, and
found out just what are your rights here,--all without your suspecting
him."

"Well, I'm not so sure--"

"Have you told him what lands you have deeds to?"

"No, but if he knows as much about the West as I figure he does, he
can guess it. Fence every swallow of get-at-able water to be found on
my range this time of year, and you won't hav