gins to
accumulate his profits, we'll find him a dangerous man. But we have
passed this dividend and before I get through with him he'll be
stripped of every dollar he has won. I'm going to break that man,
Jepson, if only as an example to these upstarts who are hounding
Navajoa. I've got him by the heels and--but never mind that, let's see
if our plans are air-tight. Now, this man Lockhart!"

"He's drunk!" answered Jepson. "I'll arrange it to keep him soaked."

"Very well--now Bray!"

"He's drinking, too. I'll wait till the last day, and probably send
him out with a guard."

"Yes, make sure of that. Better send two guards. They can sign their
names as witnesses, in case Bray should leave the Territory. And now,
this girl!" went on Stoddard, lowering his voice instinctively, "is she
really as deaf as she seems? Remember, you can never depend on a
woman!"

"Yes, she's deaf!" replied Jepson. "And you don't need to worry--she
hates Rimrock Jones like poison. Did you notice the way she passed
that dividend, to cut off his supply of slush? Just as sweet and
smiling! When they take it like that--well, we can forget about her!"

He paused and in the silence a typewriter began to clack with a fierce,
staccato note. It was Mary Fortune, writing her letter to Rimrock
Jones.

CHAPTER XXII

A FOOL

The big day came for which Rimrock had waited, the day when he could
strike his first blow. In his room at the Waldorf he had installed
special telephone connections, with a clerk to answer his calls; and
close by the table, where he could follow his campaign, a stock ticker
stamped away at its tape. It was the morning of the twenty-third of
December, and he had wired L. W. for his money. All was ready now for
the first raid on Navajoa and he went down to see Buckbee, the broker.

"Mr. Buckbee," he said when he had him by himself, "I just want to find
where you're at. You introduced me to Stoddard and, as it turned out,
we all of us made on the deal. But here's the question--if it came to
a show-down, would you be for Stoddard, or me?"

"Why, my dear friend Rimrock," answered Buckbee jovially, "I'm afraid
you don't get me right. That little deal with Stoddard was strictly on
the side--my business is to buy and sell stock. An order from you will
look just as good to me as one from Whitney H. Stoddard, and it will be
executed just as carefully. But if it's Navajoa you have on your mind
my advice i