"How do you mean?" queried Campbell, still reaching for the contract; and the jack-in-the-box thrust it into his hands. "Why, he used that same paper to claim the Wunpost--he can't claim every mine I find!" "Well, we'll see," returned Campbell, putting on his glasses, and Wunpost flew into a fury. "Git out of here!" he yelled, making a kick at Pisen-face Lynch; "git out, or I'll be the death of ye!" But Pisen-face Lynch recoiled like a rattlesnake and stood set with a gun in each hand. "Don't you think it," he rasped, and Wunpost turned away from him with a groan of mortal agony. "What does it say?" he demanded of Campbell. "Can he claim this mine, too? But say, listen; I wasn't _working_ for him! I was working for myself, and furnishing my own grub--and I've never been through here before! He can't claim I found it when I was under his grubstake, because I've never been into this country!" He stopped, all a-tremble, and looked on helplessly while Cole Campbell read on through the "fine print"; and, not being able to read the words, he watched the face of the deaf man like a criminal who hopes for a reprieve. But there was no reprieve for Wunpost, for the paper he had signed made provision against every possible contingency; and the man who had drawn it stood there smiling triumphantly--the jack-in-the-box was none other than Lapham. Wunpost watched till he saw his last hope flicker out, then whirled on the gloating lawyer. Phillip F. Lapham was tall and thin, with the bloodless pallor of a lunger, but as Wunpost began to curse him a red spot mounted to each cheek-bone and he pointed his lanky forefinger like a weapon. "Don't you threaten me!" he cried out vindictively, "or I'll have you put under bond. The fault is your own if you failed to read this contract, or failed to understand its intent. But there it stands, a paper of record and unbeatable in any court in the land. I challenge you to break it--every provision is reciprocal--it is sound both in law and equity! And under clause seven my client, Mr. Eells, is entitled to one-half of this claim!" "But I only own one-third of it!" protested Wunpost desperately. "I located it for myself and Wilhelmina Campbell, and then we gave Dusty Rhodes a third." "That's beside the point," answered Lapham briefly. "If you were the original and sole discoverer, Mr. Eells is entitled to one-half, and any agreements which you have made with others will have to be modified accordingly." "What do you mean?" yelled a voice, and Dusty Rhodes, who had been listening, now jumped into the center of the arena. "I'll have you to understand," he cried in a fury, "that I'm entitled to a full half in this claim. I was with this man Wunpost when he made the discovery, and according to mining law I'm entitled to one-half of it--I don't give _that_ for you and your contract!" He snapped his fingers under the lawyer's nose and Lapham drew back, startled.