yellow envelope to Winston.
He read the message and dismissed the boy.

"Seymour will be here tomorrow. We will soon be in a position to set
Elijah on his feet I hope." Winston hesitated a moment, then went on
deliberately. "I thought of having Elijah hunted up at once; but now I
think it will be best to wait." He looked questioningly at Helen.

"I think you are right," she replied briefly.

Winston returned to the Rio Vista and went directly to Uncle Sid's room.

"Things are coming to a climax." He handed the message to Uncle Sid.

The old man's face had lost its humorous look. His shaggy eyebrows were
lowered, only two bright sparks flashed from beneath them, steely hard.

"This mess is in a fair way o' bein' settled now, an' it ain't a minute
too soon, either. 'Lige ain't goin' to stand this always."

"What had we better do first?"

"You know Seymour. Meet him at the train and get him over to the office
at once. I'll be there. I think we can settle the whole business in an
hour." Uncle Sid's face relaxed into a grim smile. "He'll have to come
to our terms."

"The main thing, after all, is to get there, and it begins to look as if
we had done it."

There was a surprise to both in their immediate vicinity. The door
opened without ceremony to admit Mrs. MacGregor. She was still in
traveling costume. She nodded slightly to Winston, who rose as if to
leave the room. Uncle Sid checked him.

"You stay right here, Ralph."

Mrs. MacGregor addressed Uncle Sid.

"I want a few minutes alone with you, Sidney, on business."

"Me an' Ralph are about as near one as they make 'em, I guess. You just
go right on an' unburden your mind."

"The business to which I refer concerns you and me alone."

"Your ward and Helen Lonsdale are included, I guess. If they ain't,
you'll have to wait. If they are, you go right on. You didn't raise
enough money in Fall Brook to push you out of the Palm Wells mess. You
take up the business right there."

Mrs. MacGregor looked at Winston with as much of an appeal in her glance
as she could compel herself to make.

Winston settled himself even more firmly in his chair in compliance with
Uncle Sid's request. Mrs. MacGregor did not attempt to conceal her
annoyance, but she followed her brother's suggestion and came to the
point.

"Yes, I did fail to raise the money in Fall Brook that I had expected to
raise without difficulty, and I fancy I know why."

Uncle Sid chuckled with evident