Shadow Mountain

“Well–all right!” sighed Blount, and wrote out an order which Colonel Huff gravely accepted. “And now,” went on Blount, “I demand that you step aside and allow Wiley Holman to be taken.”

The Colonel’s eyes narrowed, and he motioned the officer aside as he laid his own hand on Wiley’s shoulder.

“Every citizen of the state,” he said with dignity, “has the authority to arrest a fugitive–and Mr. Holman is my prisoner. Is that satisfactory to you, Mr. Officer?”

“Why–why, yes,” stammered the Constable and as the Colonel smiled Blount forgot his studied repose. He had been deprived in one minute of a block of stock that was worth a round million dollars and the sting of his great loss maddened him.

“You may smile, sir,” he burst out, “but as sure as there’s a law I’ll put Wiley Holman in the Pen. And if you knew the truth, if you knew what he has done; I wonder, now, if you would go to such lengths? You might ask your wife how she has fared in your absence–or ask Virginia there! Didn’t he send her as his messenger, to make a fake payment that would have deprived her and her mother of their rights? If it hadn’t been for me your two hundred thousand shares wouldn’t be worth two hundred cents. I ask Virginia now–didn’t he send you to my bank─”

“What?” demanded the Colonel, suddenly whirling upon his daughter, but Virginia avoided his eyes.

“Yes,” she said, “he did send me down–and I betrayed my trust. But it’s just because of that that we’ll stand by him now─”

“Virginia!” said the Colonel, speaking with painful distinctness. “Do I understand that you were–that woman? And did Mr. Blount here, by any means whatever, persuade you to violate your trust?”

“Yes, he did!” cried out Virginia, “but it was all my fault and I don’t want Mr. Blount blamed for it. I did it out of meanness, but I was sorry for it afterwards and–oh, I wonder if I’ve got any mail.” She broke away and dashed into the house and the Colonel brushed back his hair.

“A Huff!” he murmured. “My God, what a blow! And Wiley, how can we ever repay you?”

“Never mind,” answered Wiley as he took the old man’s hand. “I don’t care about the money.”

“No, but the wrong, the disgrace,” protested the Colonel, brokenly, and then he flared up at Blount.

“You scoundrel, sir!” he cried. “How dared you induce my daughter to violate her sacred trust? By the gods, Sam Blount, I am greatly tempted─”

“It’s come!” called Virginia, running gayly down the steps, but at sight of her father she stopped. “Well, there it is,” she said, putting a paper in his hand. “It shows that I was sorry, anyway.”

“What is this?” inquired the Colonel, fumbling feebly for his glasses, and Virginia snatched the paper away.

“It’s a letter from my lawyers!” she said, smiling wickedly. “And we’ll show it to Mr. Blount.”

She took it over and put it in Blount’s hands, and as he read the first line he turned pale.

“Why–Virginia!” he gasped and then he clutched at his heart and reached out quickly for the fence. “Why–why, I thought that was all settled! I certainly understood it was–and what authority had you to interfere?”

“Wiley’s power of attorney,” she answered defiantly, “I fired that crooked lawyer, after you’d got him all fixed, and hired a good one with my stock.”

“My Lord!” moaned Blount, “and after all I’d done for you!” And then he collapsed and was borne into the house. But Wiley, who had been so calm, suddenly leapt for the letter and read it through to the end.

“Holy–jumping–Judas!” he burst out, running over to the Colonel who was standing with lack luster eyes. “Look here what Virginia has done! She’s bought all Blount’s stock, under that option I had, and cleaned him–down to a cent. She’s won back the mine, and we can all go in together─”

“Virginia!” spoke up the Colonel, beckoning her sternly to him. “Come down here, I wish to speak to you.”

She came down slowly and as her father began to talk the tears rose quickly to her eyes, but when Wiley took her hand she smiled back wistfully and crept within the circle of his arm.

THE END