y, "but I'll wager anything that
when you first came you were just paralyzed with fear."

"I was indeed!" Charley shook her head as if in wonder at that early
fear. "I used to barricade myself in the bedroom and slept with the
little .22 at the head of the bed."

"I don't see how your brother--" began Roger.

"He _had_ to go," interrupted Charley. "Don't you try to prove that Dick
isn't devoted to me, for he is. He had to see the doctor because he came
out here with bad lungs. He's all cured of that now. No one could be
more of a dear than Dick, when he's--well."

She spoke with such vehemence, leaning forward in her chair with such a
depth of protest in her wide eyes that Roger was surprised.

"Good Lord, I wasn't criticizing Dick. I think he's a fine chap. Only I
don't think a girl ought to be sleeping alone, twenty-five miles from
the nearest neighbor."

"I'm safer here alone than I would be in St. Louis or Chicago,"
exclaimed Charley, leaning back in her chair with a little laugh. "Now
tell me what you are going to do after your Sun Plant begins to pump
water?"

"Try to get money interested in developing this and other waste
countries. There are untold mineral riches in these ranges, if only
there were a cheap way to get them out. Now don't get excited as Crazy
Dutch did and shoot me up! By the way, he told me his name was Otto von
Minden."

Charley nodded. "I believe he comes of good family. He speaks the finest
kind of Berliner German. Poor old thing!"

Roger snorted. "I'll _poor_ him when I catch him! I'll have him
committed to an asylum."

Charley laughed. "You'd have hard work getting that done. Asylums are
rare here and every one is fond of the little German. I wish I knew as
much as he does about German literature. Some day I'm going to Germany.
It must be a wonderful country."

"Did you learn German in college?"

"In High School and the University both. I'd like to have had some
French too, but there were no native French teachers and I didn't fancy
learning French with somebody's accent plus my own. On the other hand
the German teachers and the courses they offered were fine. I feel as if
I knew more about Germany than any other country outside the United
States."

"So do I," replied Roger, thoughtfully.

"I think that instead of getting Crazy Dutch committed you'd better get
to know him," Charley went on. "He's so well connected in Germany, in
spite of his forlorn appearance, he might pr