te, and with his affidavit before old Judge Fingal (he
also was here before you) he left this piece of land to the Frenchman."

Mapleson handed my father a torn greasy bit of paper, duly setting forth
what he had claimed.

"Now, to go on," he resumed. "This Kiowa marriage was a legal one, for
the Frenchman had a good Catholic conscience. This marriage was all
right. I have also here the affidavit of the Rev. J. J. Dodd, former
pastor of the Methodist Church South in Springvale. At the time of this
marriage Dodd, who was then stationed out near Santa Fe, New Mexico, was
on his way east with a wagon train. Near Pawnee Rock Le Claire with a
pretty squaw came to the train legally equipped and was legally married
by Dodd. As a wedding fee he gave this letter of land grant to Dodd.
'Take it,' he said, 'I'll never use it. Keep it, or give it away.' Dodd
kept it."

"Until when?" my father asked.

Mapleson's hands twitched nervously.

"Until he signed it over to me," he replied. "I have everything
secured," he added, smiling, and then he went on.

"Le Claire soon got tired of the Kiowas of course, and turned priest,
repented of all his sins, renounced his wife and child, and all his
worldly goods. It will be well for him to keep clear of old Satanta in
his missionary journeys to the heathen, however. You know this priest's
son, Jean Pahusca. He got into some sort of trouble here during the war,
and he never comes here any more. He has assigned to me all his right to
this property, on a just consideration and I am now ready to claim my
own, by force, if necessary, through the courts. But knowing your
position, and that you also have a claim on the same property, I figured
it could be adjusted between us. Baronet, there isn't a ghost of a show
for anybody else to get a hold on this property. Every legal claimant is
dead except this half-breed. I have papers for every step in the way to
possession; and as a man whose reputation for justice has never been
diminished, I don't believe you will pile up costs on your client, nor
deal unfairly with him. Have you any answer to my claim?"

At that moment the door opened quietly and Father Le Claire entered. He
was embarrassed by his evident intrusion and would have retreated but my
father called him in.

"You come at a most opportune time, Father Le Claire. Mapleson here has
been proving some things to me through your name. You can help us both."

John Baronet looked at both men