e more along," he said. "Now, it's not quite my
business, but if you'll not stand out about the usual commission I can
put you on to a man who wants a hundred fat cattle."

"It's a deal," said Alton, glancing thoughtfully at his visitor, whom
he considered an honest man. "Now I think you know a good deal about
all that goes on in this city?"

"Oh, yes," said the other man, "I have to. Glad to be of any use to
you I can."

"Well," said Alton, "I've noticed men smiling at me kind of curiously,
and I want to know right off what's the meaning of it. There's nothing
especially humorous about me."

"You don't know?" and his visitor appeared to reflect when Alton shook
his head.

"Then to put it straight, there are folks who would not believe you.
No, stop a little, I mentioned nothing about myself. Have you done
anything lately, that might have hurt the susceptibilities of Mr.
Cartier?"

Alton laughed grimly. "Yes," he said, "I hope so. I hove him out of
this place one night and he fell downstairs."

"Well," said the other man, smiling, "that accounts for a good deal.
Do you happen to be on good terms with Mr. Hallam? Cartier is."

"No," said Alton dryly, "I don't. When Mr. Hallam and I feel at peace
one of us will be dead."

"Now, this thing is getting a little more clear to me. I wasn't
willing to believe all I heard, anyway."

"That," said Alton, "does not concern me. The question is what did you
hear?"

The other man appeared embarrassed and sat silent a space. "I think
it's only right that you should know," he said. "Well--according to
Cartier--there was a lady here when he came in close on midnight, and
he gave folks the impression that she stayed here altogether. That
wouldn't possibly have counted for so much, but it also got about that
she made use of her place to give you information that was worth a good
deal about the business of Hallam and the folks she worked for."

Alton's face grew almost purple, but the dark hue faded and left it
unusually pale again. "That," he said very slowly, "is a damnable lie.
The lady alluded to was here once only, and for at the most three
minutes."

The other man grew a trifle uneasy under his gaze. "Of course," he
said, "your word will do for me. Still, she was here, you see--and
it's difficult to rub out a lie with that much behind it. I'm afraid
you'll find it stick to you both like glue, especially as her employers
turned the girl out immediate