"No, they decided to stay," answered Blount, following after him. "But now, Wiley, about this quit-claim?" "Well, gimme your check! Or keep it, I don't care--I came away without my breakfast this morning." He strode off down the trail and Blount pulled up short and stood gazing after him blankly, then he shouted to him frantically and hurried down the slope to where Wiley was waiting impatiently. "Here, just sign this," he panted. "I'll write you out a check. But what's the matter, Wiley--didn't the mine show up as expected?" Wiley muttered unintelligibly as he signed the quit-claim which he retained until he had looked over the check. Then he folded up the check and kissed it surreptitiously before he stored it away in his pocketbook. "Why, yes," he said, "it shows up fine. I'll see you later, down at the house." Blount sat down suddenly, but as Wiley clattered off he shouted a warning after him. "Oh, Wiley, please don't mention that matter I spoke of!" "What matter?" yelled back Wiley and at another disquieting thought Blount jumped up and came galloping after him. "The matter of the Colonel," he panted in his ear, "and here's another thing, Wiley. You know Mrs. Huff--she's absolutely impossible and--well, she's been making me quite a little trouble. Now as a personal favor, please don't lend her any money or help her to get back her stock; because if you do----" "I won't!" promised Wiley, holding up his right hand. "But say, don't stop me--I'm starving." He ran down the trail, limping slightly on his game leg, and Blount sat down on a rock. "Well, I'll be bound!" he puffed and gazed at the quit-claim ruefully. The tables were all set when Wiley re-entered the dining-room from which he had retreated once before in such haste, and Virginia was there and waiting, though her smile was a trifle uncertain. A great deal of water had flowed down the gulch since he had advised her to keep her stock, but the assayer at Vegas was worse than negligent--he had not reported on the piece of white rock. Therefore she hardly knew, being still in the dark as to his motives in giving the advice, whether to greet Wiley as her savior or to receive him coldly, as a Judas. If the white quartz was full of gold that her father had overlooked--say fine gold, that would not show in the pan--then Wiley was indeed her friend; but if the quartz was barren and he had purposely deceived her in order to boom his own mine--she smiled with her lips and asked him rather faintly if he wanted his supper at once. But if Virginia was still a Huff, remembering past treacheries and living in the expectancy of more, the Widow cast aside all petty heart-burnings in her joy at the humiliation of Stiff Neck George. Leaving Virginia in the kitchen, to fry Wiley's steak, she rushed into the dining-room with her eyes ablaze and all but shook his hand.