wo chums to climb through the low
window. Once in the room, they advanced toward a doorway leading to an
apartment that opened on the _patio_ of the ranch home--an open
courtyard which had once boasted of a well-kept flower garden, but
which was now neglected and overrun with weeds.

As Dave gazed out across the _patio_ he saw a movement in a room on
the opposite side of the ranch home. The face of a man had appeared
for a few seconds. Behind him was some one else--who, however, Dave
could not make out.

"My gracious, Roger!" gasped our hero in a low voice. "Did you see
that fellow?"

"I saw some one."

"It was William Jarvey!"

"Jarvey! Are you sure?"

"I am certain of it. Now what do you think of that!"

"I'm sure I don't know what to think, Dave. Maybe he is making his
headquarters here, the same as Ward Porton."

"I am going to try to find out. Come on."

Our hero made a quick mental calculation as to the ground plan of the
ranch homeland then he and Roger began to work their way from one room
to another, and then through a long, narrow hallway, until they
reached the other side of the building. Here they paused at the end of
the hallway to listen.

From a room close at hand came a murmur of voices. By straining his
ears Dave made out the tones of William Jarvey. The former bookkeeper
for the Mentor Construction Company was evidently talking to another
man, but what was being said was not distinguishable.

"It's Jarvey all right enough," whispered Dave.

"Yes. But that isn't Ward Porton with him," returned Roger.

"I know it. It's some man."

Both continued to listen, and presently heard William Jarvey give a
sarcastic laugh.

"You've got another guess coming, Packard Brown, if you think you are
going to get that much out of the deal!" he cried. "Remember, you
haven't done a thing to help us."

"That's all right, Bill Jarvey," retorted the man called Packard
Brown. "When we left the U. S. A. and came over here it was understood
that we were to share and share alike in everything."

"Yes, but I didn't think this new thing was coming up," growled
Jarvey. "We were to share equal on what we happened to get out of the
greasers. This is another thing entirely."

"I admit that. Just the same, I think I'm entitled to my share."

"Well, you help us all you can and you'll get a nice little wad out of
it, Brown."

What more was said on this subject did not reach the ears of Dave and
Roger, for just