y
to his plate and then, as he fell to eating ravenously, the Widow
condescended to smile.

"When I go to the trouble of cooking a man a steak," she announced with
the suggestion of a swagger, "I expect him to stay and eat it."

"All right," mumbled Wiley, and glancing fleeringly at Virginia, he went
ahead with his meal.

The Widow looked over her shoulder at her daughter and then back at the
stranger, but as she was about to inquire into the cause of their
quarrel she spied his diamond ring. She approached him closer under
pretext of pouring out some water and then she sank down into a chair.

"That is a very fine ring," she stated briefly. "Worth fifteen hundred
dollars at the least. Haven't I seen you somewhere, before?"

"Very likely," returned Wiley, not venturing to look up, "my business
takes me everywhere."

"I thought I recognized you," went on the Widow ingratiatingly; "you're
a mining man, aren't you, Mister--er----"

"Wiley," he answered, and at this bold piece of effrontery Virginia
caught her breath.

"Ah, yes, I remember you now," said the Widow. "You knew my husband, of
course--Colonel Huff? He passed away on the twentieth of July; but there
was a time, not so many years ago, that I wore a few diamonds myself."
She fixed her restless eyes on his ring and heaved a discontented sigh.
"Virginia," she directed, "run out into the kitchen and clean up that
skillet and all. I declare, you do less and less every day--are you a
married man, Mr. Wiley?"

Without awaiting the answer to this portentous question, Virginia flung
out into the kitchen and, left alone, the Widow drew nearer and her
manner became suddenly confidential.

"I'd like to talk with you," she began, "about my husband's mine. Of
course you've heard of the famous Paymaster--that's the mill right over
east of town--but there are very few men that know what I do about the
reasons why that mine was shut down. It was commonly reported that
Colonel Huff was trying to get possession of the property, but the truth
of the matter is he was deceived by old John Holman and finally left
holding the sack. You see, it was this way. My husband and John Holman
had always been lifelong friends, but Colonel Huff was naturally
generous while Holman thought of nothing but money. Well, my husband
discovered the Paymaster--he was led to it by an Indian that he had
saved from being killed by the soldiers--but, not having any money, he
went to John Holman an