"What's that?" asked a gray-haired man, peering out from a private office.

"I am seeking the address of Mr. Orion Tevis," repeated Jack.

"Step right in here," the elderly man said. "Johnson, you may go down into the bas.e.m.e.nt and finish your work," he added to the porter who hurried away, probably feeling as though he had grown several inches shorter.

"Now what is this about Mr. Tevis?" asked the man. "I am Mr. Snell, cashier of the bank."

"I want to find Mr. Tevis, in order to ask him if he knows the whereabouts of a certain person in whom I am interested," said Jack.

"Are you a private detective?" asked Mr. Snell, with a smile.

"No sir, I'm Jack Ranger, from Denton, and these are friends of mine," and Jack mentioned their names.

"Well, suppose I say we haven't Mr. Tevis's address," spoke Mr.

Snell.

"I was told it could be obtained here," Jack insisted.

"If it could be, under certain conditions, are you able to fulfill those conditions?" asked the cashier.

"If you mean this, yes," replied Jack, showing his queer ring.

"Where did you get that?" asked Mr, Snell

"It's a long story," Jack said. "The last time I got it was when I recovered it from a burglar. But we have another. Show him yours, John."

The Indian student exhibited the odd gold emblem with the pine tree tracing on the moss agate. Mr. Snell looked at both circlets critically without saying anything. He glanced at the lettering inside.

"I don't believe I am in a position to give you Mr. Tevis's address,"

he said slowly.

"What?" cried Jack. "After all our journey."

"Show him the card," said John, in a whisper.

Jack pulled from his pocket the curious bit of cardboard he had secured from Mr. Liggins. At the sight of it the cashier uttered an exclamation. He got up and closed the door leading to the bank corridor.

"That settles it!" he exclaimed. "Your credentials are all right.

Wait a minute."

He pressed a b.u.t.ton on his desk. A short, stockily built man entered the room.

"Perkins, you may feed the red cow," the cashier said gravely.

"Yes sir," replied Perkins, as calmly as though he had been told to hand over the city directory.

"And whisper to her that the goats have come," the cashier went on, at which Perkins turned and left the room.

"Now boys I am ready for you," said Mr. Snell, and Jack related as much of the matter as he thought might have a bearing on his search.

"I can give you Mr. Tevis's address," the cashier went on. "You must excuse my caution, but, as you doubtless know, there have been strange doings in connection with that land deal. So you are Jack Ranger?"

"That's me. But now where can I find Orion Tevis and learn where my father is?"

"I'm afraid you're going to have trouble," Mr. Snell went on. "All we know is that Mr. Tevis lives somewhere on a wild tract of land among the mountains about one hundred miles from Fillmore."

"Fillmore, that's where we have to go to get to Denville," said Nat

"So it is," Jack murmured.

"You see Mr. Tevis is a rather peculiar individual and surrounds himself with many safeguards," Mr. Snell went on. "We were only to give his address to those who brought the rings and the card. I was at first afraid you were impostors, as there have been several such.

We are also required to send Mr. Tevis word as soon as any one comes here, bearing the proper emblems, and seeking him. You heard what I said to that man a while ago. It was a code message to be transmitted to Mr. Tevis."

"But if you know where to send him a message, why can't you tell us how to reach him?" asked Jack.

"I can tell you as much as we ourselves know. We send the messages to a certain man living in Fillmore. He, in turn, rides off into the mountains and, from what I have heard, leaves the letter in the cleft of an old tree, of which he alone knows the location. Then he comes away. In time Mr. Tevis, or some of his men, come and get the letter.

If he wishes to send an answer he leaves it in the tree. If not that ends the matter. If he wishes to remain hidden he does so. He seldom comes to town, and has only been at this bank once in a number of years. Now, don't you think you have a pretty hard task ahead of you?"

"Will you tell me how to find this man in Fillmore, who knows how to take that letter?" asked Jack.

"Good!" exclaimed Mr. Snell. "That's the way to talk. I sized you up for a plucky lad as soon as I saw you. Now if you will take pencil and paper, I'll give you directions for reaching Enos Hardy, who may succeed in getting a message to Mr. Tevis for you."

Jack jotted down what Mr. Snell told him, and, at his suggestion, the other two boys made copies, in case of accident. Then, having cashed some letters of credit which they brought with them, the boys went back to their hotel.

"What are you going to do, Jack?" asked Nat.

"I'm going to find Orion Tevis," was the reply. "I think I had better do it before I go on to your uncle's ranch, Nat. What do you say?"

"Slippery snapping turtles!" exclaimed Nat. "If I was you I'd do the same thing. You ought to make that hundred miles and back in a week, and we can go to uncle's ranch then. We'll go with you; eh, John?"

"Sure," replied the Indian.

"Let's hurry on to Fillmore," Nat went on. "If my uncle is there waiting for us, we can tell him all about it. If not we can send him a letter, telling him where we are going, and letting him know about what time we'll be back. It's only twenty miles from Fillmore to Denville, near where his ranch is."

This plan was voted a good one, and as soon as the boys could catch a train out of Denver they were speeding toward what was to be the last railroad station of their long western trip.

They were two days reaching it, owing to the poor connections, because they were now traveling on branch line railroads, but they got into the little mining town one evening at dusk. So explicit were the directions Mr. Snell had given them that they had no difficulty in reaching the Eagle Hotel, where the cashier had advised them to put up. They registered, and, in accordance with their directions, left a note with the hotel clerk for Enos Hardy.

"He'll be in some time to-night," the clerk said. "He comes here every evening."

It was about nine o'clock that night when a message came to the boys'

room that Mr. Hardy would see them in the sitting room of the hotel.

Jack went down alone, and found waiting for him a grizzly, heavily- bearded man, rather stoop-shouldered. He glanced from under his s.h.a.ggy eyebrows at Jack.

"You left a message for Enos Hardy?" the man asked.

"I did, in reference to Orion Tevis," admitted Jack.

"Have you the emblems?"