one. You know I can put it through."

Mr. Roswell considered briefly before replying. "There's no use
denying that we've made money on deals like this--everybody has.
So it's nothing new. There's a big play on Ranger stuff and we
couldn't lose. But I know nothing about you except the little
you've told me. When I go into a deal I put my trust more in the
man than the proposition."

"And I trust my own judgment of human character more than that of
strangers," Gray said, quickly. "So do you. Thirty days is a long
time with me, and the oil business is just my speed. Permit me to
remind you that time is flying and that I have given myself only
three hours in which to turn this property. I intend to beat
Nelson, and apply that beating on account of an old score. This is
more than a mere business deal."

"I like your energy," the banker confessed, "and I'm inclined to
bet some of my own money on you. Now"--he pushed a button on his
desk--"let's see if there are any others here who feel as I do."
It was early evening when Gus Briskow returned to his wife's and
his daughter's rooms at the Ajax. He slipped in quietly and sank
into a chair.

"Mercy me! I thought you was run over," Ma Briskow exclaimed.

"I feel like I was," the nester declared, with a grin. "Say!
Mister Gray sold the Evans lease an'--we got more money than
ever."