about one o'clock
the same day and had, doubtless, arrived in El Toro about two o'clock.
Evidently he had communicated with the man from La Questa valley
(assuming that Don Miguel's assailant had come from there) by telephone
from El Toro.

Arrived in El Toro, Bill Conway drove to the sheriff's office. Don
Nicolas Sandoval had returned an hour previous from the Rancho Palomar
and to him Conway related the events of the morning. "Now, Nick," he
concluded, "you drift over to the telephone office and in your official
capacity cast your eye over the record of long distance telephone calls
yesterday afternoon and question the girl on duty."

"_Bueno_!" murmured Don Nicolas and proceeded at once to the telephone
office. Ten minutes later he returned.

"Okada talked to one Kano Ugichi, of La Questa, at 2:08 yesterday
afternoon," he reported.

"Considerable water will run under the bridges before Kano Ugichi
returns to the bosom of his family," Conway murmured sympathetically.
"He's so badly spoiled, Nick, we've decided to call him a total loss
and not put up any headstone to his memory. It is Farrel's wish that
the matter be forgotten by everybody concerned."

"I have already forgotten it, my friend," the urbane Don Nicolas
replied graciously, and Bill Conway departed forthwith for the Hotel de
Las Rosas.

"Got a Jap name of Okada stopping here?" he demanded, and was informed
that Mr. Okada occupied room 17, but that he was ill and could not be
seen.

"He'll see me," quoth Bill Conway, and clumped up the stairs. He
rapped peremptorily on the door of room 17, then tried the knob. The
door opened and the old contractor stepped into the room to find the
Potato Baron sitting up in bed, staring at him. Uttering no word, Bill
Conway strode to the bed, seized the Japanese by the throat and
commenced to choke him with neatness and dispatch. When the man's face
was turning purple and his eyes rolling wildly, Conway released his
death-grip and his victim fell back on the mattress, whereupon Bill
Conway sat down on the edge of the bed and watched life surge back into
the little brown man.

"If you let one little peep out of you, Okada," he threatened--and
snarled ferociously.

"Please, please," Okada pleaded. "I no unnerstan'. 'Scuse, please.
You make one big mistake, yes, I zink so."

"I do, indeed. I permit you to live, which I wouldn't do if I knew
where to hide your body. Listen to me, Okada. You sent a cou