ightly about this thing stop him at once. This is the one
point on which Simon Harley and I will pull together. Any man who joins
that child's name with mine loosely will have to leave this camp--and
suddenly."

"It won't be the men--it will be the women that will talk."

"Then garble the story. Change that three days to three hours, Steve.
Anything to stop their foul-clacking tongues!"

"Oh, well! I dare say the story won't get out at all, but if it does
I'll see the gossips get the right version. I suppose Sam Yesler will
back it up."

"Of course. He's a white man. And I don't need to tell you that I'll be
a whole lot obliged to you, Stevie."

"That's all right. Sometimes I'm a white man, too, Waring," laughed
Steve. Ridgway circled the table and put a hand on the younger man's
shoulder affectionately. Steve Eaton was the one of all his associates
for whom he had the closest personal feeling.

"I don't need to be told that, old pal," he said quietly.

CHAPTER 8. THE HONORABLE THOMAS B. PELTON

It was next morning that Steve came into Ridgway's offices with a copy
of the Rocky Mountain Herald in his hands. As soon as the president of
the Mesa Ore-producing Company was through talking with Dalton, the
superintendent of the Taurus, about the best means of getting to the
cage a quantity of ore he was looting from the Consolidated property
adjoining, the treasurer plumped out with his news.

"Seen to-day's paper, Waring? It smokes out Pelton to a finish. They've
moled out some facts we can't get away from."

Ridgway glanced rapidly over the paper. "We'll have to drop Pelton and
find another candidate for the Senate. Sorry, but it can't be helped.
They've got his record down too fine. That affidavit from Quinton puts
an end to his chances."

"He'll kick like a bay steer."

"His own fault for not covering his tracks better. This exposure
doesn't help us any at best. If we still tried to carry Pelton, we
should last about as long as a snowball in hell."

"Shall I send for him?"

"No. He'll be here as quick as he can cover the ground. Have him shown
in as soon as he comes. And Steve--did Harley arrive on the
eight-thirty this morning?"

"Yes. He is putting up at the Mesa House. He reserved an entire floor
by wire, so that he has bed-rooms, dining-rooms, parlors,
reception-halls and private offices all together. The place is policed
thoroughly, and nobody can get up without an order."

"I haven't been t