"You don't know me," said the sauntering unit. "My name is Maginnis." "I withdraw the collar button," said Charlie. He slowed his step and shot a glance at the grizzled face beside him. Who's Who in Cowland has a well-thumbed page for Spinal Maginnis. "What's your will?" "You arrested young Dines?" "In a way, yes. I was with the bunch." "It is told of you by camp fires," said Maginnis, "that you'll do to take along. Will you come?" "With you, yes. Spill it." "For me. To do what I can't do for myself. You arrested Johnny Dines, or helped; so you can go where I'm not wanted. Notice anything back yonder?" He jerked his head toward the main street. "Well, I'm not walking in my sleep this bright beautiful evening. Whispering fools, you mean?" "Exactly. Some knaves, too. But fools are worse always, and more dangerous. This town is all fussed up and hectic about the Forbes killing. Ugly rumors--Dines did this, Dines did that, Dines is a red hellion. I don't like the way things shape up. There's a lot of offscourings and riffraff here--and someone is putting up free whisky. It's known that I was a friend of this boy's father, and it is suspected that I may be interested in his father's son. But you--can't you find out--Oh, hell, you know what I want!" "Sure I do. You're afraid of a mob, with a scoundrel back of it. Excuse me for wasting words. You're afraid of a mob. I'm your man. Free whisky is where I live. Me for the gilded haunts of sin. Any particular haunt you have in mind?" "Sure I have. No need to go to The Bank. Joe is a pretty decent old scout. You skip Joe's place and drop in at The Mermaid. Where they love money most is where trouble starts." "Where will I report to you?" "You know Perrault's house?" "With trees all round, and a little vineyard? Just below the jail? Yes." "You'll find me there, and a couple more old residenters. Hop along, now." The Mermaid saloon squatted in a low, dark corner of Hillsboro--even if the words were used in the most literal sense. Waywardly careless, Hillsboro checkered with alternate homes and mines the undulations of a dozen low hills; an amphitheater girdled by high mountain walls, with a central arena for commercial gladiators. Stamp mills hung along the scarred hillsides, stamp mills exhibiting every known variety of size and battery. In quite the Athenian manner, courthouse, church and school crowned each a hill of its own, and doubtless proved what has been so often and so well said of our civilization. At any rate the courthouse cost more than the school--about as much more as it was used less; and the church steeple was such as to attract comment from any god. The school was less imposing.