"And I'll not complete the final contract, not pay down a cent and
throw up the whole thing, unless Mister Landy Spencer, here seated,
pledges that he will join in with me in working the thing out to a
final victory. No, I don't mean that he's to pay out anything, I'll
pay all, but he's to say that he will stay with me, that he'll manage
the thing, plan production, hire the help, and get things going. And
we'll divide the profits. This depression can't last. Already the wise
ones are hearing the death rattle and last gasp. But it will take some
time to recover and we must be ready when the bulge comes. Maybe there
are some old cows over there that Landy says are dear at ten dollars a
head. There are some unweaned calves, and a few unbranded yearlings
that will just about pay the cost of their roundup. But that's the
foundation on which we are to build. What do you say, podner? Are you
with me?"

"In yer listin' of assets, ye haven't invoiced Maizie," said Landy.
"Early this afternoon, I heard ye pricin' her to Logan at a thousand
dollars a week. En ye haven't catalogued Hulls en the bulls, mebbe
they're wuth more than all the rest. Shore I'll he'p ye. Hit'll be a
pleasure to hear ye try to mesmerize Maizie like ye did Logan, tellin'
her of this Coony Island place en the fortune tellers. We'll go over
thar in the mornin' early en I'll watch ye hypnotize her en Hulls,
like ye did Logan. 'Course, if they're gone, that's our loss. We'll
invoice the remnants en leavin's, en take a fresh start."

Davy was early to bed but his rest was broken in trying to picture the
probable conduct of two persons he had never seen. In his dreams, old
Hulls and his threatening gun was a commonplace figure. But back of
him, and in command, was the garish image of a black-haired,
copper-complexioned virago, whose imperious death-dealing edicts
recalled his early readings of Sir Walter and his vivid picturings of
Helen, wife of Rob Roy, in her judgments of the fate of a common
enemy. He was glad that daylight came to dispel the mental mirage.

"I never saw Landy so interested," said Mrs. Gillis, as she placed
Davy's high chair at the table. "He was out feeding the horses long
before Jim did the milking, and that's unusual. Landy likes you--likes
to do the things you plan. Of course Landy has earned a rest, but
there's too many that rust out when they rest up. Landy is that kind.
He needs to be interested in something. He's had a lot of exp