y. Dramatically, she pointed to the photograph on the wall. "Is
that the woman you're talking about?"

Li examined the face gravely and nodded. "Yes," he said, "only younger
here."

Mrs. Van released him suddenly. "All right, go on in and see the boy," she
said, and hurried down the street. "Fire and bandits--and I let that poor
girl go over there with those men!" she gasped. "And what on earth is that
woman doing at Casa Grande? It's either a scandal or a romance, that's a
cinch!"

"What's the matter? Whose horse was that? Great snakes, Mrs. Van, what the
devil----" Johnson, hastily and scantily attired, came down the street,
followed by the others. Cochise had waked up the camp. Mrs. Van looked at
them tragically.

"It's the Casa Grande Chinaman come over to see Jimmy. He rode Cochise,"
she sobbed.

"What'd he ride Cochise for? What's come over Marc Scott, lendin' Cochise
to a Chink?"

"Tom, something awful has happened," and she burst into the story.

"Didn't the heathen go back to help?"

"I guess he tried to, but Cochise got scared and wouldn't go. What do you
suppose it is ?"

"Gosh, I dunno! Don't sound like Pachuca; he wouldn't come back a second
time. Sure looks bad."

"And the feller says Mrs. Conrad's there. What's he mean by that, do you
think?"

"Who's she?"

"Mr. Hard's friend; the widow woman that lives down South. Upon my word,
Tom Johnson, I do believe that's the woman and the trouble that the ouija
meant and I thought all the time it was talking about Polly Street!"

"Dunno, I'm sure. Where's Cochise?"

"Gone down to the corral."

"Guess I'd better go down and give him the once over. They've probably
rode him to death between 'em. Gosh, I'm sorry to hear that news!" and Tom
strode off, sadly, followed by the others. "Poor old chap," he murmured, a
few minutes later, as he took the saddle off Cochise. "Can't do nothin'
for your boss, so I'll do what I can for you. Pretty well petered out,
ain't you?"

"Say, Tom, what are we going to do about this Casa Grande business,
anyhow?" demanded O'Grady.

"Well, with a dynamited track, a busted auto, a smashed 'phone connection
and a foundered horse, what would you suggest doing?" demanded Johnson,
pessimistically. "Walkin' ain't so durned good in this country."

"If we could get to Conejo we could get Mendoza to drive us over to Casa
Grande," hazarded Williams.

"Well, that ain't a bad idea for you, Jack," said Tom, patronizingly. "I
r