er cottage on the dry ranch.
This strengthened the hypothesis that Mackay had the deeds and was
living close to the coal prospect in order to keep an eye on it.

CHAPTER XXXIX

THE TURNING OF THE SCREW

If Mr. Braden had been puzzled by Garland's conduct in the first
instance, he became more so. Garland made him no proposition. The
thought that the latter might be dickering with the French boys crossed
Mr. Braden's mind, but was open to the objection that he would have to
share blackmail with them. On the whole, Mr. Braden concluded that he
had bluffed Garland. After a while the latter would part with the
document cheaply.

Hence, when he received a visit from Judge Riley one day about the close
of business hours, he was very little perturbed. Mackay perhaps had
taken legal advice on his supposed right, or the judge might have come
on other business. But the lawyer's first words cleared up that point.

"I am here," he said, "on behalf of my client, Mrs. Mackay. You are
aware that she claims ownership of the land on which coal has been
found?"

"Her claim is nonsense," Mr. Braden asserted stoutly.

"That's just what I am trying to clear up. As a result of what French
told her she always supposed she owned the land."

"I'm not responsible for what French told her. I'm getting tired of this
absurd claim of hers. Her land is described in her deeds. That's her
evidence of title. You ought to know that."

"Yes, I know that," the judge admitted mildly. "As it happens, she is
now able to produce a deed from you to her father conveying the land in
question."

It was so entirely unexpected that Mr. Braden's heart decidedly
misbehaved. How in the name of all bad luck had this happened? Had
Garland, after all, made a dicker with Mackay? Had Mackay got those
infernal deeds? Or had he merely a suspicion, which Riley was trying to
confirm by a fishing trip for a damaging admission?

"Nonsense!" he said.

"Oh, no," the judge replied cheerfully. "To be quite frank with you, our
position is this: French, shortly before his death, delivered to his
niece a conveyance in duplicate from you to her father purporting to
convey certain lands therein described. This land lies immediately east
of the coal lands, but does not include them. We claim that this latter
conveyance is the true and original one."

"Where did you get it?" Mr. Braden demanded.

"Suppose French, feeling his end approaching, gave it to his niece?"