self before the mirror. He turned round and grinned. Phil
grinned back at him and sat down on the edge of the bed.

There were no recriminations. What was past was dead and buried--at
least as much of it as would submit to the treatment without protest.

"Jim!"

"Ugh-huh!"

"Had a good sleep?"

"Sure!"

"Just up?"

"Ay!"

"Feeling fit?"

"You bet!"

"Going to work?"

"Yep!--maybe."

"Did you hear what some tom-fool did to Percival DeRue Hannington's
horse?"

Jim stopped his shaving and grimaced before the mirror, then swung
slowly round on his heel.

"No!--although something inside of me seems to denote the feeling that
I must have heard somebody talk about it. Give me the yarn."

Phil did so, as briefly as possible.

"And DeRue Hannington is as mad as a caged monkey. He has this white
notice placarded on every telegraph pole in town."

Phil tossed over a hand-bill, which Jim perused slowly.

ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS REWARD.

The above reward will be paid to anyone giving information that
will lead to the conviction of the person, or persons, who
maltreated my white mare by coating her with paint.

Percival DeRue Hannington.

Jim laughed and threw the paper back to Phil.

"Well!--I should worry about a little thing like that. Man,--I've
troubles enough of my own to contend with."

"How's that?" asked Phil, looking up. "You haven't been doing anything
likely to get you into hot water?"

"No--father confessor,--excepting maybe this:"

It was Jim's turn to throw over a piece of paper which he picked up
from the bureau.

Phil looked it over.

It was an Agreement for Sale, between James Shallingford Dalton and
James Langford, in which the former accepted from the latter nine
horses--receipt of which was thereby acknowledged--as first payment of
five hundred dollars on his Brantlock Ranch of sixty acres, with
barns and shack, two dray-horses, one dray and one and a half tons of
sacked potatoes; total purchase price thirty-five hundred dollars;
second payment of two thousand dollars to be made within seven days,
the balance in six months thereafter; prompt payment on due dates to
be the essence of the agreement.

Phil glanced over at Jim, then turned up his nose in disgust.

"Gee!--and I thought you were a lawyer."

"So did I!" returned Jim ruefully.

"But what in the name of all that's lovely made you sign an agreement
like that?"

"The Lord only knows!"

"Great snakes!--i