woman. And she was more than that, for she had the dark, exotic beauty which goes to men's heads like strong wine. In her dainty draperies, curled up among the cushions, and with her soft, purring voice, there was something feline about her.
'I am sick to death of this dreadful town, but my brother has big interests, so I must stay,' she told him. 'He thinks the possibilities are unlimited.' Sudden hid his smile; they certainly Were for an unscrupulous person. 'I'd say he's right, ma'am,' he replied.
'Of course, he'll have to get good men to help him,' she went on. 'Paul is wonderful, but ... ' She gestured with a slim, white hand.
The cowboy began to see light. Having failed to remove him, was he now to be used? That was a game two could play at. He put on a particularly wooden expression.
'One fella can't do it all,' he agreed.
'My brother is generous to those who serve him,' she murmured softly. 'I too like to more than pay a debt.' The warmth in tone and look promised much, but the visitor, convinced that he had solved the problem, was himself again, cold, insensible to the glamour of her beauty. But since he must not let her see this, stupidity was the safest card to play.
'Good work shorely deserves good pay,' he observed fatuously.
To his surprise, she dropped the subject and after one or two commonplaces, held out her hand.
'We must meet again,' she said. 'You interest me.' When he had gone, she rose and crossed to a mirror. 'What is the matter with me?' she murmured. 'Is he really dumb, or ... ?' Apparently satisfied with the reflection in the glass she curtseyed to it mockingly. 'We shall see, Mister Sudden; you may be a wonder with a six-shooter but Cupid can beat you with his bow and arrow--damn you.' Had the cowboy seen her at that moment, the God of Love's shaft would have sadly missed its aim. All her beauty could not make a woman with such an expression desirable.
But Sudden was riding up the street, repeating for the third time that he had not seen Miss Ducane. He gave his explanation of Lora's interest and Gerry's eyes grew round.
'They wanta rope yu into their plans?' he said. 'But why?'
'Mebbe they need a fast gun-slinger,' Sudden said bitterly. 'I'm knowed too, an' if anythin' goes wrong with those same plans, I'll be left holdin' the bag.'
'What yu mean to do, Jim?'
'I'm takin' a hand,' came the grim reply.
'We are,' the other corrected.
Sudden expressed a doubt. 'Lesurge don't like you. Yo're young, yu got a face a girl might get used to--in time, an' he has his own ideas, I figure, about Miss Ducane's future.' Gerry's comment, a poor tribute to his upbringing, set out clearly and vividly, his ideas regarding the future of Paul Lesu rge.
'Cussin' never cured anythin',' Sudden said philosophically. 'We gotta wait for the next move in the game.' They were not kept long in suspense; it had already been made. As they crossed the little stream which descended from their claim, Sudden noticed that the water was muddy.
'Somebody's workin' near us,' he remarked.
Breasting the slope, they soon reached the spot. Three men were busily washing sand from the bed of the rivulet. They ceased as the riders emerged from the trees, their hands going to their guns, only to fall away again when Sudden slid from- his saddle and stepped towards them. Blue-shirted miners, neither young nor old, of the type which could be seen by the hundred in the vicinity at any hour of the day or night, with rugged, hard, but not unpleasant faces.
'What's the bright notion, jumpin' our claim thisaway?' the puncher asked.
The oldest of the three, who sported a grey beard, replied:
'We didn't know it was your'n.' His tone was almost apologetic, and Sudden knew that, for once, his evil reputation was helping him. 'You ain't staked no claim, nor recorded her, an' she's anybody's ground.' The cowboys grinned wryly at one another; this was a detail they had overlooked.
'We figured on attendin' to that later, if it was worth while,' Sudden explained. 'What made yu pick on this place?'
'Fella told us 'bout it--said a couple o' chaps was doin' well but hadn't recorded,' the man replied. 'You see, we bin havin' a middlin' poor time, couldn't make a strike nohow, an' with grub the price it is ...' He shrugged expressively.
'Was the fellow named Berg?'
'Why I b'lieve I did hear him called that--a tricky-lookin' triflin' bit of a man.'
'Yu said it,' the puncher agreed. 'Well, boys, yu win. Me an' Gerry has slipped up an' must take our medicine. Good luck to yu.' He turned towards his horse.
The two miners who had been silent looked at the spokesman and shook their heads.
'Hold on thar, we ain't agreein' to that,' Grey-beard said. 'Yo're treatin' us fair, mister, an' we aim to do the same. We've staked three claims an' you can choose two of 'em--I'm tellin' you the ones the stream runs through is the likeliest. We'll mark out another couple an' work alongside, if yo're willin'.'
'That's a white man's offer, but I got a better idea,' Sudden replied. 'We'll work the five claims an' split the proceeds equally. What yu say?' Since the cowboy's ground would probably be the richest, this proposal was to the advantage of the intruders; they did not hesitate.
'That's a bet,' their leader said, 'but I reckon you two should take a bigger share.' The puncher would not have it. 'We're kind o' new to this game,' he pointed out. 'We'll gain by throwin' in with yu, Mister .. ?' 'I'm Jessie Rogers, this is Ben Humit. an' that ornery fella is Tom Bowman; we ain't much to look at but you'll find we're on the level,' Grey-beard said. 'We was in the Paris when you gave Logan what he shorely asked for.' He looked round. 'This end o' the gulch ain't bin prospected much--chaps are scared o' gettin' far from town--but they'll come, an' it'll be all to the good if there's a party of us. What you goin' to do to Berg?'
'Box his ears,' was the smiling answer. 'He's on'y bein' used, Rogers, by bigger men.'
'Well, any time you want help, there's three of us,' the other replied slowly.
'I'm rememberin' that,' Sudden said warmly.
By virtue of both age and experience, Rogers took charge of the operations. His partners were deputed to stake the a ditional claims while the other three used shovel and pan. Sudden pointed out the natural rock riffle and Rogers laughed.
'We tried that first,' he said. 'No wonder she warn't so rich as we expected. Hey, that ain't no way to wash dirt--you'll lose half the dust. Lemme show you.' The puncher watched his skilful handling of the pan with a rueful countenance, seeing which, Rogers smiled. 'Don't you care, son,' he consoled. 'Each to his job, they say. I'm bettin' you could throw an' tie twenty cows afore I got the rope on one.' Sudden laughed and went to help Gerry with the digging.
'Berg has done us a good turn unmeanin',' he remarked. 'I'm wonderin' if it was just spite, or was he obeyin' orders?' When just before dark, they reached home, another surprise awaited them. From a sawn-off tree-stump which served as a seat outside the door, Snowy rose.
''Lo boys,' he cried. 'There's nobody to home so I just hung aroun'.' They took him inside and produced a bottle and glasses, but he shook his head.
'Ain't drinkin' right now,' he excused. 'Wanted to see you particular, Jim.' His voice dropped almost to a whisper. 'I'm agoin' to re-locate the mine. It ain't fur, mebbe I won't be gone more'n a day or so, 'less I've disremembered the landmarks, but it's wild country. Paul reckons I oughta have comp'ny--a fella who's handy with weapons.'
'So he sent yu to me?'
'Well, he mentioned yore name an' I was pleased to hear it. I'd like for yu to come, Jim. It's been in my mind a long whiles --that's why I asked you boys to stay put. O' course, you'll be in on it,' he added hastily. 'How's things?'
'Our claim was jumped this mornin',' Sudden told him, 'but we ain't within sight o' sellin' our saddles yet.' Thus assured that their financial condition was not desperate, Snowy asked about the claim-jumping; it was evident he knew nothing of it.
'Mean trick,' he commented, 'but, o' course, if you hadn't made yore title good ... Hell, what's it matter? I'm offerin' you a bigger chance. What do you say?'
