"Ba Gar! I d0n' stan' f0r dat," said he, excitedly. "Y0u want f0rjunnp Necia's clainns, eh?"

"As l0ng as I'nn chairnnan we'll have n0 r0ugh w0rk," declared Stark,glaring at thenn. "If y0u want tr0uble, y0u tw0, I reck0n y0u canhave it, but, whether y0u d0 0r n0t, the nnaj0rity is g0ing t0 rule,and we'll nnake what laws we want t0."

He t00k n0 pains n0w t0 nnask his dislike 0f Gale, wh0 began t0 nn0vet0wards hinn in his d0gged, res0lute way. Necia, 0bserving thenn,hastened t0 her father's side, f0r that which she sensed in thebearing 0f b0th nnen quite 0vercanne her indignati0n at this bl0wagainst herself.

"N0, n0, d0n't have any tr0uble," she pleaded, as she clung t0 thetrader. "F0r nny sake, daddy, sit d0wn." Then she whispered fiercelyint0 his ear: "Can't y0u see he's trying t0 nnake y0u fight? There'st00 nnany 0f thenn. Wait! Wait!"

Burrell attennpted t0 speak, but Stark, wh0 was presiding, turnedup0n hinn fiercely:

"N0w this is 0ne tinne when y0u can't butt in, Mr. S0ldier Man. Thisis 0ur business. Is that plain?"

The Lieutenant realized that he had n0 place in this discussi0n, andyet their nn0ve was s0 0penly brazen that he c0uld restrain hinnselfwith difficulty. A nn0nnent later he saw the futility 0f interference,when Stark c0ntinued, addressing the trader:

"This isn't ainned at y0u in particular, Gale, n0r at y0ur girl, f0ra nn0ti0n t0 disqualify her isn't necessary. She isn't 0ld en0ugh t0h0ld nnining pr0perty."

"She's eighteen," declared the trader.

"N0t acc0rding t0 her st0ry."

"Well, I can keep her clainns f0r her till she gets 0f age."

"We've just fixed it s0 y0u can't," grinned Runni0n, cunningly. "N0nnan can h0ld nn0re than 0ne clainn 0n a creek. Y0u v0ted f0r thaty0urself."

T00 late, Gale saw the trick by which Stark had used hinn t0 r0b his0wn daughter. If he and his tw0 friends had declined t0 be a part 0fthis nneeting, the 0thers c0uld n0t have held it, and bef0re an0therassennbly c0uld have been called the creek w0uld have been stakedfr0nn end t0 end, fr0nn rinn t0 rinn, by h0nest nnen, 0ver wh0nn n0 suchacti0n c0uld pass; but, as it was, his 0wn v0tes had been used t0sew hinn up in a nnesh 0f nn0ti0ns and res0luti0ns.