a loss for words. After a moment, he
inquired: "What about Bell Nelson?"

"A harsh, headstrong, ruthless old man whose history will not bear
careful reading. His sins shall be visited upon him through his
offspring. He will have to go, too."

Roswell stirred as if to shake off the effect of some oppressive,
mesmeric influence; reluctantly he admitted, "All I can say is you have
a colossal nerve--"

"Precisely. And that is all I had when I came to Texas."

"I was coming to that. You deceived me, Gray. You said you represented
big capital; had friends and connections--"

"A pardonable deceit, under the circumstances, was it not? As a matter
of fact, I said nothing of the sort; I merely allowed you to infer--"

"You're splitting hairs." The banker was impatient. "The fact remains
that you led me to make a fool of myself. Why, man alive, I have your
whole history here, and it's a record of one sensational failure after
another. You had no backing whatever, no--"

"Is that the result of your own investigation?"

"Partly."

"For the rest, you took Nelson's word, eh? Very well, I've beaten him
out from cover sooner than I expected. Now as to my failures. Failure
proves only this: that one's determination to succeed is not strong
enough. Who fail, except those who try? You have not always succeeded;
neither have I invariably failed. Your report is a bit unfair."

"You will fail now. And you deserve to fail."

"Indeed? Why?"

"Because you're doing an outrageous thing; because--See here, Gray, I
know why you hate Nelson." There ensued a moment of silence.

"He told you that?" The younger man's face had slowly whitened; he
spoke with difficulty.

"He told me everything. He told me that you were dishonorably
discharged from the army--cashiered, we used to call it--and that you
blame him. I don't mind saying it was a shock--worst I've had in years.
In time of war, too! The army doesn't do that unless--without
ample--Well, Gray, it's damned nasty!"

"Quite the nastiest thing that can happen to a man," the other agreed
in a thin, flat voice.

"I couldn't, wouldn't believe it."

"Why not? You believed everything else he told you."

"I wouldn't accept his word on a thing like _that_ without asking you."
Another pause followed. "There's probably some explanation. I told him
so--" Mr. Roswell showed his genuine distress by the frown upon his
brow and by his averted eyes. He stirred uncomfortably, then he broke
out