pardon me! I made use of a word that can have many
meanings, and I am sure that in using it, I did n't place the same
construction that you did in hearing it. But let that pass. I
apologize. What I should have said was that, if you will pardon me,
she used you, as young women will do, as a foil against her fiance in a
time of petty quarreling between them. Is that plainer?"

It was too plain to Fairchild. It hurt. But he nodded his head and
the other man went on.

"Now the thing has progressed to a place where you may be--well--what
one might call the thorn in the side of their happiness. You are the
'other man', as it were, to cause quarrels and that sort of thing. And
she feels that she has not done rightly by you, and, through her
friendship and a desire to see peace all around, believes she can
arrange matters to suit all concerned. To be plain and blunt, Mr.
Fairchild, you are not in an enviable position. I said that I had
information for you, and I 'm going to give it. You are trying to work
a mine. That demands capital. You have n't got it and there is no way
for you to procure it. To get capital, one must have standing--and you
must admit that you are lacking to a great extent in that very
necessary ingredient. In the first place, your mine is in escrow,
being held in court in lieu of five thousand dollars bond on--"

"You seem to have been making a few inquiries?"

"Not at all. I never heard of the proposition before she brought it to
me. As I say, the deeds to your mine are held in escrow. Your partner
now is accused of four crimes and will go to trial on them in the fall.
It is almost certain that he will be convicted on at least one of the
charges. That would mean that the deeds to the mine must remain in
jurisdiction of the court in lieu of a cash bond while the case goes to
the Supreme Court. Otherwise, you must yield over your partner to go
to jail. In either event, the result would not be satisfactory. For
yourself, I dare say that a person whose father is supposed to have
committed a murder--not that I say he did it, understand--hardly could
establish sufficient standing to borrow the money to proceed on an
undertaking which requires capital. Therefore, I should say that you
were in somewhat of a predicament. Now--" a long wait and then,
"please take this as only coming from a spokesman: My client is in a
position to use her good offices to change the viewpoint of the man who