"Your trick, you mean," corrected Gresham.

"Our trick, I said!" insisted Collaton, suddenly angry. "Look here,
Gresham, I won't stand any monkey business from you! If there's ever
any trouble comes out of this you'll get your share of it, and don't
you forget it! You've had me lay attachments against the Gamble-
Collaton Irrigation Company on forged notes. Since I had nothing,
Johnny paid them, because he was square. The last attachment,
though--for fifty thousand--he held off until I got that Slosher
Apartment scheme in my own name, and turned it against me; and you
had to pay it, because you had stood good for me."

"What difference does that make to you?" demanded Gresham. "It was
my own money and I got it back."

"It makes just this much difference," explained Collaton: "Gamble
and Loring are busy tracing all these transactions; and when they
find out anything it will be fastened on me, for you never figure in
the deals. You even try to avoid acknowledging to me that you have
anything to do with them."

"You get all the money," Gresham reminded him.

"That's why I know you're framing it up to let me wear the iron
bracelets if anything comes off. Now you play square with me or I'll
hand you a jolt that you won't forget! There's a girl responsible
for your crazy desire to put my old partner on the toboggan--and
that was the girl. You see I happen to know all about it."

Gresham considered the matter in silence for some time, and Collaton