He held up the package. "I was scared they might get wise an' get the drop on me," he said. "So I opened the package an' took out what was in it and put it in my hat. They got the original package, all right, but it was stuffed with an old glove of mine. Here's the money. I didn't go right on to the mine for fear they'd find out their mistake an' pot me from the timber. This is the money you gave me, minus the seals an' the string an' box. I wanted you to see that I was on the square." Sautee's eyes were bulging. "Give me that," he gulped out. "Why--don't you want me to take it to the mine?" asked Rathburn in surprise. "Hand that over," ordered Sautee, reaching for the package. Rathburn drew away. "All right, Mr. Sautee," he said in a complaining voice. "If you don't want me to go through with the job you can back down, I guess. We'll just make sure the money's here, though." Sautee leaped toward him. "Give me that package!" he cried angrily. "Do you hear me?" Rathburn warded him off, keeping the package at arm's length away. "Just hold your horses," he said coldly. "I reckon I know what I'm doing. You don't trust me now, an' I ain't goin' to take any chances with you. I'm goin' to open this an' show you that the money's there, that's all; I'm goin' to show you that I'm giving you back what you gave me all fair an' square." Sautee's face was ashen. His voice trembled as he spoke again: "Hand it over and get out of here. I've had enough trouble with you. I'll take your word for it." But Rathburn was undoing the paper wrappings. Again Sautee made a leap, but this time he met Rathburn's left fist and staggered back, dropping into a chair. Rathburn looked at him coldly. "Funny you're so anxious to take my word for things now, when a minute ago you said you couldn't know but what I'd told that holdup story for a blind so's I could get away with--_this_!" The wrappings fell away, revealing a wad of blank paper. Rathburn's face froze. Sautee stared white-faced at what the other held in his hand. Then a peculiar glint came into his eyes and he looked at Rathburn narrowly. "So that's the way of it," he said sarcastically. Rathburn stuffed the paper into a pocket. Then he pulled a chair in front of the mines manager and sat down. He took out paper and tobacco from his shirt pocket and began to fashion a cigarette. "It sure looks bad for me, doesn't it, Mr. Sautee?" he asked as he snapped a match into flame. "I thought you were going to return the money," Sautee said sneeringly. "It looks bad two ways," Rathburn went on as if he hadn't heard the other's comment. "First, if that package the holdups got had contained the money you could have swore it was a put-up job. I'd have had to beat it fast. Now, when I find that the package you gave to me was full of blank paper, you can say that I framed the holdup story and changed the money for paper in the bargain."