"I suspected some crooked work last week, but I must say that I never thought they would come out here on such a meager chance," added Mr. Latimer. "You see, it was this way: I had a rascal employed in my office as clerk, but I never knew that he was in constant touch with Riggley & Ratzger--in fact was their stool-pigeon. He was a clerk in our offices just to get daily information about patents. And thus the other firm got hold of many tips. "When the Court upheld us in our rights, and this firm of crooks tried in other ways to get that valuable patent and model, this clerk Brown made an accurate blue-print of the drawing we always kept locked in our safe. Then when he heard of our success in cutting the lava-jewels from the material sent us from Pebbly Pit, he did everything to locate this ranch. "Had we wasted any time in planning to come West and meet you people here, I doubt not but that Riggley & Ratzger would have had a new scheme to hold us up. But we moved so swiftly after hearing from Kenneth and Tom, that they had to catch breath to keep up in the race. "I am convinced that they hurried here with no set plans about the future--they wanted to get a hold on this place so as to try and bar us from immediate work, or perhaps, to make a fortune out of us by selling their option to us. They never dreamed that Latimer had a son right here, and that there was a deeper cause for our meeting you all than mere business reasons. Had either of these lawyers known about Montresor and that mine, they would not have spent so much time and money to get here to outwit us. "It is fortunate that the doctor kept those letters at home where Brown could not read and copy them for his firm of rascals. But, to tell the truth, that was one reason why Dr. Evans was so anxious to meet you-all. We want to hear everything about the old man and that claim." As Mr. Latimer finished speaking, Dr. Evans said: "If you will pardon me, a moment, I have here a photograph taken of my brother-in-law just before he left for the Klondike. Perhaps you will recognize something in the face to assure us it was your Montresor." The doctor took out his large flat pocket-book and removed the card-photograph wrapped in tissue paper. This was passed to Sam Brewster, who needed but a glance to tell him that the pictured face was the same man that he had defended so valiantly to others. Polly ran over to her father's side and took the picture. "Oh, you dear old friend--it is our Old Man Montresor, sure enough, but his hair was white when we knew him!" she exclaimed. She impulsively kissed the senseless card, and every one smiled sympathetically, even though there was a suspicion of moisture in most eyes. "I am so glad to find that he had good friends, somewhere, even though he was too proud to let any one know about his relatives. And Ken! I'm so glad to know that he, and you people, will all come in on Choko's Find--or to be exact, it is Montresor's Mine," said Polly.