re does the game stand, right now?"

"You stand to lose."

Again the biting silence; and then: "You don't think I'm fool enough to
give you back your ammunition so that you can use it on me, do you?"

"Those papers and that picture are copies: the originals are in a sealed
envelope in Mr. Raymer's safe. If you haven't taken your hands off of
Mr. Raymer's throat by three o'clock this afternoon, the envelope will
be opened."

Jasper Grierson's teeth met in the marrow of the fat cigar. Equally
without heat and without restraint, he stripped her of all that was
womanly, pouring out upon her a flood of foul epithets and vile names
garnished with bitter, brutal oaths. She shrank from the crude and
savage upbraidings as if the words had been hot irons to touch the bare
flesh, but at the end of it she was still facing him hardily.

"Calling me bad names doesn't change anything," she pointed out, and
her tone reflected something of his own elemental contempt for the
euphemisms. "You have five hours in which to make Mr. Raymer understand
that you have stopped trying to smash him. Wouldn't it be better to
begin on that? You can curse me out any time, you know."

Jasper Grierson's rage fit, or the mud-volcano manifestation of it,
passed as suddenly as it had broken out. Swinging heavily in his chair
he took up the papers again and reread them thoughtfully.

"You had a spotter working this up, I suppose: who is he, and where is
he?" he demanded.

"That is my affair. He was a high-priced man and he did his work well.
You can see that for yourself."

Once more the papers were tossed aside and the big chair swung slowly to
face the situation.

"Let's see what you want: show up your hand."

"I have shown it. Take the prop of your backing from behind this labor
trouble, and let Mr. Raymer settle with his men on a basis of good-will
and fair dealing."

"Is that all?"

"No. You must cancel this pine-land deal. You have broken bread with Mr.
Galbraith as a friend, and I'm not going to let you be worse than an
Arab."

Grierson's shaggy brows met in a reflective frown, and when he spoke the
bestial temper was rising again.

"When this is all over, and you've gone to live with Raymer, I'll kill
him," he said, with an out-thrust of the hard jaw; adding: "You know me,
Madge."

"I thought I did," was the swift retort. "But it was a mistake. And as
for taking it out on Mr. Raymer, you'd better wait until I go 'to live
with hi