id magazine Bud
brought me two or three weeks ago." Her eyes twinkled. "'Cave-man stuff,'
I think it was." Coming from her lips the words had an oddly bizarre
sound. "It seemed descriptive. Of course one would want to use
refinements."

"I get you!" Stratton grinned as he departed.

His head had scarcely passed the window before the inner door opened and
Mary Thorne appeared.

Her face was pale, with deep shadows under the eyes, and her slim, girlish
figure drooped listlessly. She walked slowly over to the table, took up a
book, fluttered the pages, and laid it down again. Then a pile of mail
caught her eyes, and picking up the topmost letter, she tore it open and
glanced through it indifferently.

"From Stella," she commented aloud, dropping it on the table. "They got
home all right. She says she had a wonderful time, and asks after--"

"After me, I suppose," said Mrs. Archer, as Mary paused. "Give her my love
when you write." She hesitated, glancing shrewdly at the girl. "Don't you
want to hear the news, dear?" she asked.

Mary turned abruptly, her eyes widening with sudden interest. "News? What
news?"

"Why, about everything that's happened. They caught all of the men except
that wretch, Pedro. The sheriff's taken them to Perilla for trial. He says
they'll surely be convicted. Better yet, one of them has turned State's
evidence and implicated a swindler named Draper, who was at the bottom of
everything."

"Everything?" repeated the girl in a slightly puzzled tone, as she
dropped listlessly into a chair beside her aunt. "What do you mean, dear,
by--everything?"

"How dull I am!" exclaimed Mrs. Archer. "I hope that isn't another sign of
encroaching age. I quite forgot you hadn't heard what it was all about. It
seems there's oil in the north pasture. Lynch found it and told this man
Draper, and ever since then they've been trying to force you to sell the
ranch so they could gobble it up themselves."

"Oil?" questioned Mary. "You mean oil wells, and that sort of thing?"

"There'll be wells in time, I presume; just now it's merely in the ground.
I understand it's quite valuable."

She went on to explain in detail all she knew. Mary listened silently,
head bent and hands absently plucking at the plaiting of her gown. When
Mrs. Archer finally ceased speaking, the girl made no comment for a time,
but sat quite motionless, with drooping face and nervously moving
fingers.

"Did you hear about--about--" she beg