that direction. But because they were honest,
they could not help observing that the other table did not seem to be
paying the slightest attention to the distinguished impersonator of
Red-handed Dick. Perhaps he had been overheard.

"Then that was the reason ye didn't come back to your location. I always
guessed it was because you'd got wind of the smash-up down there, afore
we did," said Hopkins grimly.

"What smash-up?" asked Jim, with slightly resentful quickness.

"Why, the smash-up of the Sisters' title,--didn't you hear that?"

There was a slight movement of relief and a return of gloomy hauteur in
Jim's manner.

"No, we don't know much of what goes on in the cow counties, up here."

"Ye mout, considerin' it concerns some o' your friends," returned
Hopkins dryly. "For the Sisters' title went smash as soon as it was
known that Pedro Valdez--the man as started it--had his neck broken
outside the walls o' Robles Rancho; and they do say as this yer Brant,
YOUR friend, had suthin' to do with the breaking of it, though it was
laid to the ghost of old Peyton. Anyhow, there was such a big skeer
that one of the Greaser gang, who thought he'd seen the ghost, being a
Papist, to save his everlasting soul went to the priest and confessed.
But the priest wouldn't give him absolution until he'd blown the
hull thing, and made it public. And then it turned out that all the
dockyments for the title, and even the custom-house paper, were FORGED
by Pedro Valdez, and put on the market by his confederates. And that's
just where YOUR friend, Clarence Brant, comes in, for HE had bought up
the whole title from them fellers. Now, either, as some say, he was in
the fraud from the beginnin', and never paid anything, or else he was an
all-fired fool, and had parted with his money like one. Some allow
that the reason was that he was awfully sweet on Mrs. Peyton's adopted
daughter, and ez the parents didn't approve of him, he did THIS so as
to get a holt over them by the property. But he's a ruined man, anyway,
now; for they say he's such a darned fool that he's goin' to pay for all
the improvements that the folks who bought under him put into the land,
and that'll take his last cent. I thought I'd tell you that, for I
suppose YOU'VE lost a heap in your improvements, and will put in your
claim?"

"I reckon I put nearly as much into it as Clar Brant did," said Jim
gloomily, "but I ain't goin' to take a cent from him, or go back on him
no