e offered it to her. The negotiations were rapidly completed,
and the community was collectively rejoicing at the good fortune of
having so desirable an acquisition as the handsome Irishwoman added to
it when a miniature thunder-bolt fell in the form of the emphatic
refusal of the owner to sell the property to a woman.

Following the advice of her many friends and admirers, Mrs. Burke took
up her residence at the place so that she might claim the nine points of
the law possession is said to give, while she handed to the bank the
deeds of her Irish property, and against them the bank agreed to
complete the purchase.

Popular opinion was entirely with the young widow, and popular opinion
was strong enough to force Dudgeon back to the last resource. This was a
demand that the purchase price of the station should be paid in gold.

The price was twenty-five thousand pounds and, as Dudgeon well knew,
there was not such a quantity of coin to be found in the district, where
it was the almost invariable practice to pay everything by cheque or
order. He had preferred his demand formally; had waited for a reply that
the bank was prepared to meet it and, as no such reply had reached him,
was about to declare the matter at an end.

He drew up at the bank. Eustace, the manager, was speaking to his
assistant as the old man entered.

"I've come for the money," he said abruptly, and stood by the counter,
holding out his gnarled, bony hands.

"You mean the purchase money for Waroona Downs, Mr. Dudgeon?" Eustace
replied suavely. "You are rather early, are you not?"

"I gave you notice three days ago. You'll pay over or the deal's off.
Which is it?"

Harding, the assistant, passed a document to Eustace.

"These are the terms of the sale, Mr. Dudgeon," Eustace said in the same
smooth tone. "The completion of the purchase is to be performed one
month from the date on which the agreement to buy was made. Mrs. Burke
agreed on the 20th of last month. To-day is the 17th. She has therefore
three days before you can make your final demand."

Dudgeon grabbed the document and read it through. The wording was as
Eustace had said. He had played his card too soon.

"I'll beat you yet," he cried as he flung the paper across the counter.
"No matter what it costs, I'll never have a woman owning one of my
properties. You're a lot of scheming scoundrels, but I'll beat you
yet."

He bounced out and flogged his horse to a gallop as he drove away