"But that she-devil of a horse,--it left us a mile behind. We hadn't the ghost of an idea he was anyways near when we hit your bunch.

"But where in the name of Pete the darn-fool idiot was making for, gets my goat. Who would make for Kelowna when there's miles of ranges to roam in?"

"Aw!--get off your foot!" exclaimed the knowing Howden. "He meant to get that launch at the Landing first of all and make for his ranch at Redmans, or maybe for Penticton and down over the Line. When you guys fooled him, he came up over here, meaning to beat it back Vernock way, down Kickwillie Loop, I guess, on to the sh.o.r.e road at the head of the Lake and out the Coldcreek to the foot-hills, and over to the Other Side that way.

"If he had ever gotten a head start, we'd never have seen skin or hair of him."

"But why didn't he? Wasn't you ginks chasin' him to Kelowna?"

"Sure!--but weren't we between him and the road he wanted to get onto,--simp?"

McConnachie let the sense of it sink, but it seemed to take a long time.

When the procession reached the awakening town he remarked, "I see now! You guys blocked him same as we did at the Landing."

"Just exactly!" remarked Jim. "We all saw it two hours ago." As for Howden, he was past remarking anything.

The news of the robbery, of the escape of all but one, and of the dead-capture--and the climax in regard to the ident.i.ty of that dead robber--caused a tremendous sensation throughout the Valley. It was the talk of the entire country for very many days to follow. A number of respectable citizens, of course, were shocked beyond words; others shook their heads and said it was just what they had expected. But the great fact remained:--Graham Brenchfield, several times Mayor of Vernock, Rancher, Cattle breeder, Wholesale Produce Dealer and Political Boss had been caught red-handed in the biggest bank robbery the Province had ever known.

CHAPTER XXVI

The Dawn of a New Day

Phil was busily engaged going over the day's mail early one afternoon, on a sweltering day in the month of August of that same eventful year, when his attention was drawn to an envelope addressed to himself and bearing the Government imprint.

He opened it and read the contents of the letter slowly. He laughed softly in the gurgling, boyish way he used to laugh years before. That letter awakened something in him that seemed to have been asleep. And it gave him an irresponsibly happy sort of feeling.

He read the letter over again. It was perfectly plain:

Mr. Philip Ralston, Vernock, B. C.

_Dear Sir_,

Among the papers left by the late Graham Brenchfield, late Mayor of Vernock, was one addressed to The Attorney General, in which he confessed to being the sole culprit in the a.s.sault on the bank official and in the robbery of the branch bank at Carnaby several years ago. For this crime, you were tried by jury and sentenced to a term of five years imprisonment. You served the full term of this sentence at the penitentiary at Ukalla.

The whole matter has been carefully gone into by me and I find that Brenchfield's statements are borne out by every point in the case and that you were convicted on purely circ.u.mstantial evidence, although this evidence was of a most d.a.m.ning nature.

The Government can accept no responsibility for the mistake of your incarceration on account of the fact that you could have cleared yourself at the time had you chosen to do so, instead of which you aided and abetted the escape of the real criminal.

I have much pleasure, however, in advising you that your conviction has been quashed; your name has been struck out entirely from the criminal records of the Province and from the books of Ukalla Penitentiary.

We have known for some time of your residence in Vernock and have watched with interest your splendid business achievements.

Your obedient servant,

J. GALBRAITH SAMUELS,

Attorney General.

Phil was still in his chair with the letter in his hand, dreaming and wondering at the strange cycle about which every human being turns, when Jim,--wayward, devil-may-care Jim--came in, with a grin on his face and his hat set jauntily over one side of his head. He sat down at his own desk, turned over a few papers impatiently, then started to dream also. Suddenly he threw the papers aside and commenced to walk the office floor, going to the door every once in a while and looking up the street in the direction of the Railway Station.

From the door he shouted suddenly:--

"Say, Phil!--I'm going up the length of the Station Hotel to see a man about a dog. I'll be back shortly." And he hurried off.

In fifteen minutes he returned, and he tried hard to settle down to the dictation of a few letters, but he was a dismal failure in his attempt, for he sighed and remarked to the stenographer: "Oh, pshaw!

I'm on the blink for work to-day. Cancel that! I'll give you the remainder to-morrow."

He went over to the window and gazed out into the street.

Phil picked up the letter he had received and went over to Jim with it, intending to let him read it. He clapped Jim on the back, making the latter jump.

"Wake up, Jim! What's got you this time?"

Jim turned to him. "Gee, Phil!--positively and absolutely, the most charming piece of femininity I have ever seen is in Vernock to-day."

"Good heavens!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Phil. "Why didn't you tell me that Eileen was down town?"

"Look here, old man!--I said, the most charming lady that _I_ had ever seen, not that _you_ had ever seen."

"Oh!" apologised Phil, "I--I see."

"No,--but straight goods! I was up at the station when the train came in, and she came off, with her mother and dad, I guess they were."

"Strangers?"

"Yes! They went right to the Station Hotel. But I tell you----" He stopped. "Oh, well!--what's the good? Guess she's married, or engaged, or something like that! Just my rotten luck!"

"And what has that got to do with you, anyway? Who are they? Did you get introduced?"

"Me? Good land, no!"

"Well,--did she look at you, or smile?"

"No, siree! She's not that kind. Maybe she gave me a look, but say!--she glided along as if--well, just as if she knew she had a right to."

"And you are making all this fuss about a little thing like that,"

laughed Phil.

"But it isn't a little thing, man!"

"Do you know her name?"

"No! I went up to the hotel to get a glimpse of the register, but she was around the desk there, waiting, I guess, for her dad to come down.

So I just had to beat it back.