ate. "Contrast his manner with Mr. Falkner's."

At luncheon the three suffering martyrs finally succeeded in reducing
Hale and his two friends to an attitude of vague apology. But their
triumph was short-lived. At the end of the meal they were startled by
the trampling of hoofs without, followed by loud knocking. In another
moment the door was opened, and Mr. Stanner strode into the room. Hale
rose with a look of indignation.

"I thought, as Mr. Stanner understood that I had no desire for his
company elsewhere, he would hardly venture to intrude upon me in my
house, and certainly not after--"

"Ef you're alluding to the Vigilantes shakin' you and Zeenie up at
Hennicker's, you can't make ME responsible for that. I'm here now on
business--you understand--reg'lar business. Ef you want to see the
papers yer ken. I suppose you know what a warrant is?"

"I know what YOU are," said Hale hotly; "and if you don't leave my
house--"

"Steady, boys," interrupted Stanner, as his five henchmen filed into the
hall. "There's no backin' down here, Colonel Clinch, unless you and Hale
kalkilate to back down the State of Californy! The matter stands like
this. There's a half-breed Mexican, called Manuel, arrested over at the
Summit, who swears he saw George Lee and Edward Falkner in this house
the night after the robbery. He says that they were makin' themselves
at home here, as if they were among friends, and considerin' the kind of
help we've had from Mr. John Hale, it looks ez if it might be true."

"It's an infamous lie!" said Hale.

"It may be true, John," said Mrs. Scott, suddenly stepping in front of
her pale-cheeked daughters. "A wounded man was brought here out of
the storm by his friend, who claimed the shelter of your roof. As your
mother I should have been unworthy to stay beneath it and have denied
that shelter or withheld it until I knew his name and what he was. He
stayed here until he could be removed. He left a letter for you. It will
probably tell you if he was the man this person is seeking."

"Thank you, mother," said Hale, lifting her hand to his lips quietly;
"and perhaps you will kindly tell these gentlemen that, as your son does
not care to know who or what the stranger was, there is no necessity for
opening the letter, or keeping Mr. Stanner a moment longer."

"But you will oblige ME, John, by opening it before these gentlemen,"
said Mrs. Hale recovering her voice and color. "Please to follow me,"
she sai