torted Dan Anderson. "Don't any of you undertake
that."

"Hold on there," called Learned Counsel, lifting his hand for
attention. "This man is my client! You're not hearing both sides."

"Tell the other side, Dan," said Uncle Jim Brothers. Dan Anderson
shook his head.

"Why can't you?" asked Uncle Jim.

"I can't!" broke from Dan Andersen's dry lips. "If you knew, you
wouldn't ask me to."

"That's no argument," exclaimed Doc Tomlinson. "What we do know is
that you were figurin' to run the street right past here, maybe through
my store and Uncle Jim's place, maybe takin' Tom's place for depot
yards. That outfit's been all over the hills lookin' for claims to
jump. It's a case of gobble and steal. They say you're hired to help
it on, and are gettin' a share of the steal. Now, if that's so, what
would you do if you was in our place?"

"I'd run the fellow out of town," said Dan Anderson. "If there was
that sort of a traitor here, by God! I'd kill him."

"We never did have no man go back on us here," Uncle Jim Brothers
remarked.

"Don't say that to me!" Dan Andersen's voice was shaken. "You've fed
me, Uncle Jim. Don't say that to me."

"Then what _shall_ we say, man?" replied Uncle Jim. "We want to be
fair with you. But let me tell you, _you_ don't own this valley.
_We_ own it. There's other places in the world besides the States,
and don't you forget that. We didn't think you'd ever try to bring
States ways in here."

"To hell with the States!" said McKinney, tersely.

"And States ways with them!" added Doc Tomlinson. "I'd like to see any
railroad, or any States, or any United States government, try to run
this place." Unconsciously he slapped his hand upon the worn scabbard
at his hip, and without thought others in the group eased their pistol
belts. It was the Free State of Heart's Desire.

"Well, by God!" said Uncle Jim Brothers, snapping and throwing away the
pinon twig which he had been fumbling, "if we don't want no railroad,
we don't _have_ it, and that goes!"

"Of course," broke in Learned Counsel. "We all know that. That's a
small thing. The big question is whether or not we've been fair to my
client. I've not had time yet to go fully into his case. We'll have
to continue this trial. We've got to have fair play."

"That's right enough," assented McKinney, and the others nodded.

"Then wait a while. You can't settle this thing until my client has
had time to talk with me