assured you of that; but as for these kickers, really I don't know what
you can do with them unless you send them to me. And if you do that, I
am afraid some of them may come back on hospital stretchers. I haven't
any time to fool with them at this late day."

Lidgerwood felt his gorge rising, and a great contempt for Flemister was
mingled with a manful desire to pitch him out into the corridor. It was
a concession to his unexplainable pity for Hallock that made him
temporize.

"As I said before, you needn't go into the ethics of the matter with me,
Mr. Flemister," he said. "But in justice to Hallock, I think you ought
to make a statement of some kind that I can show to these men who, very
naturally, look to me for redress. Will you do that?"

"I'll think about it," returned the mine-owner shortly; but Lidgerwood
was not to be put off so easily.

"You must think of it to some good purpose," he insisted. "If you
don't, I shall be obliged to put my own construction upon your failure
to do so, and to act accordingly."

Flemister's smile showed his teeth.

"You're not threatening me, are you, Mr. Lidgerwood?"

"Oh, no; there is no occasion for threats. But if you don't make me that
statement, fully exonerating Hallock, I shall feel at liberty to make
one of my own, embodying what you have just told me. And if I am
compelled to do this, you must not blame me if I am not able to place
the matter in the most favorable light for you."

This time the visitor's smile was a mere baring of the teeth.

"Is it worth your while to make it a personal quarrel with me, Mr.
Lidgerwood?" he asked, with a thinly veiled menace in his tone.

"I am not looking for quarrelsome occasions with you or with any one,"
was the placable rejoinder. "And I hope you are not going to force me to
show you up. Is there anything else? If not, I'm afraid I shall have to
ask you to excuse me. This is one of my many busy days."

After Flemister had gone, Lidgerwood was almost sorry that he had not
struck at once into the matter of the thieveries. But as yet he had no
proof upon which to base an open accusation. One thing he did do,
however, and that was to summon McCloskey and give instructions pointing
to a bit of experimental observation with the mine-owner as the subject.

"He can't get away from here before the evening train, and I should like
to know where he goes and what be does with himself," was the form the
instructions took. "When we fin