this, one way or another, mighty quick. You've
taken your medicine like a man, and we don't propose to let 'em give
you a second dose of it--not by a jugful."

All this was so totally unlike the Whitredge I had known that I fairly
gasped. Then I reflected--while he was drawing up the single
three-legged stool and sitting down--that in all probability the Little
Clean-Up was responsible for the change in him. I was no longer a poor
bank clerk without money or friends.

"'We,' you say?" I put in, meaning to make him define himself.

"Why, yes, of course I'm including myself; I'm your attorney, and as
soon as the news of your arrest came I made preparations to drop
everything else, right away, and get into the fight. You got your
sentence and served it, and we'll scrap 'em awhile on the proposition
of bringing you back for more of it simply because you happened to
forget, one day, and step over the State boundaries. I don't know but
what we could show that the law is unconstitutional, if we had to. But
it won't come to anything like that, I guess."

I looked him straight in the eyes.

"Whitredge, who has retained you this time?" I asked.

"I don't know what you mean by that, Bert."

"I mean that four years and a half ago there were pretty strong reasons
for suspecting that you were Abel Geddis's attorney, rather than mine."

"Oh, pshaw!" he returned with large lenience. "Geddis wanted to be
fair with you--he thought a good bit of you in those days, Bert, little
as you may believe it--and he did offer to pay my fee, if you couldn't.
But that has nothing to do with the present aspect of the case. I was
your attorney then, and I'm your attorney now. It's a point of
professional honor, and I couldn't think of holding aloof when you're
needing me. Besides, your Colorado lawyers have been in communication
with me--naturally, since I was attorney for the defense four years and
a half ago."

"They sent you to me here?" I inquired.

"They knew I would come, of course; I was on the ground and had all the
facts. They couldn't come themselves, either of them. They have had
their hands full with the injunction business."

"The injunction business?"

"Yes; haven't you heard?"

I shook my head.

"It was in the newspapers, but I suppose they haven't let you see them
here. Your mine is shut down. You were operating as bonded lessees
under a temporary injunction, or something of that sort, weren't you?
Well,