anything goes wrong. This is once
you have got in bad, Mr. Patrick Enright, of New York."

The lawyer's face whitened, and his hands gripped the arms of his chair.

"You--you know me?"

"By reputation only," and Westcott bowed, "but that is scarcely to your
credit. I know this, however, that for various reasons you possess no
desire to advertise your presence in Haskell. It would be rather a
difficult matter to explain back in the city just what you were doing
out here in such intimate association with a chorus girl and a Bowery
gunman, let alone our immaculate friend, Lacy, yonder. The courts, I
believe, have not yet distributed the Cavendish money."

Enright's mouth was open, but no sound came from his lips; he seemed to
be gasping for breath.

"I merely mention this," went on Westcott slowly, "to help you grasp
the situation. We have a rough, rude way of handling such matters out
here. Now Lacy and I have got a little affair to settle between us
and, being a fair-minded man, he sent for me to talk it over. However,
he realises that an argument of that nature might easily become
personal and that if anything unpleasant occurred he would require a
witness. So he arranges to have you present. Do you see the point,
Mr. Enright?"

The lawyer's eyes sought Lacy, and then returned to the stern face
confronting him. His lips sputtered:

"As--as a witness?"

"Sure; there may be honour among thieves, but not Lacy's kind." He
strode forward and with one hand crunched Enright back into his chair.
"Now, listen to me," he said fiercely. "I've got only one word of
advice for you: don't take any hand in this affair, except as a
peacemaker, for if you do, you are going to get hurt. Now, Bill Lacy,
I'm ready to talk with you. I was down in your shaft last night."

The saloonman lit a cigar and leaned back in his chair.

"I ought to have thought of that, Westcott," he admitted. "Still, I
don't know that I give a damn."

"The work hadn't been left in very good shape, and I found the cross
tunnel and measured it. You are within a few feet of my vein. The
county surveyor ought to have been out there two hours ago."

Lacy straightened up, all semblance of indifference gone, an oath on
his lips.

"You cur! You filed complaint? When?"

"At seven o'clock this morning. We'll fight that out in the courts.
However, that isn't what I came here for at all. I came to ask you a
question and one of you two are