Produced by Sam Whitehead, Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net THE PRICE BY FRANCIS LYNDE AUTHOR OF THE TAMING OF RED BUTTE WESTERN, ETC. [Illustration] NEW YORK GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS Published by Arrangement with Charles Scribner's Sons COPYRIGHT, 1911, BY CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS Published May, 1911 [Illustration] To MR. LATHROP BROCKWAY BULLENE SOLE FRIEND OF MY BOYHOOD, WHO WILL RECALL BETTER THAN ANY THE YOUTHFUL MORAL AND SOCIAL SEED-TIME WHICH HAS LED TO THIS LATER HARVESTING OF CONCLUSION, THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. AT CHAUDIERE'S 1 II. SPINDRIFT 9 III. THE RIGHT OF MIGHT 16 IV. _IO TRIUMPHE!_ 26 V. THE _BELLE JULIE_ 34 VI. THE DECK-HAND 44 VII. GOLD OF TOLOSA 53 VIII. THE CHAIN-GANG 59 IX. THE MIDDLE WATCH 68 X. QUICKSANDS 75 XI. THE ANARCHIST 84 XII. MOSES ICHTHYOPHAGUS 94 XIII. GRISWOLD EMERGENT 110 XIV. PHILISTIA 116 XV. THE GOTHS AND VANDALS 126 XVI. GOOD SAMARITANS 143 XVII. GROPINGS 154 XVIII. THE ZWEIBUND 165 XIX. LOSS AND GAIN 175 XX. THE CONVALESCENT 187 XXI. BROFFIN'S EQUATION 201 XXII. IN THE BURGLAR-PROOF 218 XXIII. CONVERGING ROADS 234 XXIV. THE FORWARD LIGHT 248 XXV. THE BRIDGE OF JEHENNAM 260 XXVI. PITFALLS 274 XXVII. IN THE SHADOWS 286 XXVIII. BROKEN LINKS 295 XXIX. ALL THAT A MAN HATH 312 XXX. THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES 332 XXXI. NARROWING WALLS 347 XXXII. THE LION'S SHARE 354 XXXIII. GATES OF BRASS 368 XXXIV. THE ABYSS 375 XXXV. MARGERY'S ANSWER 384 XXXVI. THE GRAY WOLF 396 XXXVII. THE QUALITY OF MERCY 408 XXXVIII. THE PENDULUM-SWING 416 XXXIX. DUST AND ASHES 428 XL. APPLES OF ISTAKHAR 438 XLI. THE DESERT AND THE SOWN 448 THE PRICE I AT CHAUDIERE'S In the days when New Orleans still claimed distinction as the only American city without trolleys, sky-scrapers, or fast trains--was it yesterday? or the day before?--there was a dingy, cobwebbed cafe in an arcade off Camp Street which was well-beloved of newspaperdom; particularly of that wing of the force whose activities begin late and end in the small hours.