cuss is out of it."

"I always said you had too much brains for an engineer," Mr. McGinity
retorted. He crossed the room to Angus and bowed to Faith.

"Suppose you tell me what the idea is?" he said. "Is this young fellow
bidding for you?"

"You know as much about it as I do," Angus confessed, and beckoned to
Chetwood. "What are you up to, anyway?" he demanded of the latter. "I
thought you were broke. You told me so."

"I told you my income had stopped--temporarily," Chetwood replied. "So
it had. If you had ever said a word about money troubles I would have
fixed them like a shot, but you never even mentioned 'em. So now I'm
going to buy the ranch in."

"How high will you go?" Mr. McGinity asked. "Hold on, now--wait a
minute. I represent the Northern Airline, which is going to build
through here, and this property is valuable to us. I'm prepared to go
fairly high myself to get it. That means that we are prepared to pay the
owner a good price. Now, instead of crazy bidding, can't we come to an
arrangement?"

"Have you any connection with Braden?" Chetwood asked.

"Hell, no!" Mr. McGinity replied. "Didn't you just see me raise him out?
And I can raise _you_ out, young man, if you won't act sensibly, unless
you have a mighty big roll back of you."

"Oh, no, you can't," Chetwood replied cheerfully. He drew McGinity to
one side. "Because, you see," he explained, "I'm really bidding the
property in for Mackay, though he doesn't know it. So, you see, I never
have to put up real money at all, except enough to satisfy old Braden's
claim, and technically satisfy the conditions of sale. I buy the
property, hand stage money to Mackay, he hands it back to me--and there
you are! The only real money is what Braden gets."

"And suppose Mackay doesn't come through," Mr. McGinity speculated
wisely. "Suppose I forced you up--away up--and Mackay found that as a
result his ranch had brought a top-notch price which he was entitled to
most of; and suppose he stood pat and insisted on receiving it. Where
would you get off at then?"

Chetwood laughed. "Braden might do that. Mackay isn't that kind. We're
friends, and I'm going to marry his sister. Raise away, if you feel like
it."

Mr. McGinity's eyes twinkled. "Not on your life," he said. "The
combination is too many for me." The sheriff impatiently claimed
recognition. "I'm through, Mr. Sheriff. The last bid is good as far as
I'm concerned."

The sheriff looked at Mr. Braden, w