james stone assumed a belligerent attitude.

“what do you mean by saying i’m not accountable?” he blustered. “you think i’m crazy?”

“i wouldn’t use quite such a harsh word,” was the reply. “but i’ve been watching you for some time, and i’m certain that your mind is slightly affected. this grouch of yours against mr. crawford is entirely uncalled-for, and everybody knows it but you. he’s the best friend you have in the world, and would do anything and everything for you. until lately you’ve been the same toward him, and there’s nothing that could have caused such a breach. mr. crawford wouldn’t harm a hair of your head, and you wouldn’t think of harming him if you were yourself.”

“rot!” exclaimed stone. “you don’t know anything about it, floyd, and it’s none of your business; it’s nobody’s business but ours. something has come between us, and you’ll have to take my word for it that crawford has got it in for me. he’s a deep one. you’d think butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth, but all the time he’s scheming to finish his old partner. i know, and i’m not going to have any young whipper-snapper tell me to my face that i’m crazy.”

charlie floyd’s lips tightened.

“would you prefer to be branded as a would-be assassin, mr. stone?” he asked cuttingly. “i’m putting the most innocent interpretation i can to your act, and if you know what’s good for yourself you’ll accept it as the lesser of two evils. you have a great deal more influence here than i have in most ways, but you know that mr. crawford is more popular than you. you’ve lost your popularity in these last few months by your dogged, brooding manner and your harsh words. if i should reveal this attempt of yours on your partner’s life, you know perfectly well that it would go hard with you. no one would have any sympathy for you, and you’d get the limit. just think of that before you call me names, and remember that i have it in my power to break you. now will you listen to what i have to say?”

the miner moistened his lips and glanced about with shifty eyes.

“i’ll listen, charlie,” he said, with a suggestion of a whine in his tone. “it ain’t pleasant to be called crazy, you know, but if you’ll stand by me i’ll make it worth your while.”

the young physician knew at once what he meant.

“none of that, mr. stone!” he said quickly. “i don’t want a cent of your money. i would not keep silent for the whole five hundred thousand they say you received for your half interest in the condor. i’m making this offer simply for your own good. i really believe you’re not responsible for your recent actions, but i feel sure there isn’t much the matter with you. for that reason i want to shield you from the consequences if i can, and try to set you on the road to recovery. you and crawford are going to new york soon, aren’t you?”

“that’s the plan—by the next boat,” was the sullen reply. “we figured it out before this came up, and of course i was anxious to get back home when i’d made my pile. i haven’t been back in twenty-five years. when this break came, though, i wasn’t keen on going back with win. but he wouldn’t hear of anything else. i reckon he thinks the trip will give him a good chance to polish me off.”

“the plan still holds good, then?”

“yes. i ain’t a coward, and if one of us doesn’t get the other before, then you won’t find me backing out.”

young floyd’s brows were knit, and he gazed absent-mindedly at the ground for some moments.

“well,” he said at length, “it’s a big responsibility to take, and i don’t know that i ought to assume it, but there doesn’t seem to be anything else to do—short of giving you up.”

his eyes sought stone’s and held them.

“mr. stone,” he continued, speaking slowly, “i need not repeat that i’m in a position to cause your arrest at any moment, and to give the most damaging testimony against you. i don’t want to do it, because of what i believe in regard to your condition, but you may be sure that i’ll do it at the drop of the hat if anything happens to mr. crawford or if you make any other attempt on his life. now, remembering that, will you give me your solemn promise—will you swear, in fact—that you’ll have no other crime against you, and that when you reach new york you’ll do as i say?”

the bronzed miner hesitated for some time, then held out his hand, which floyd took.

“i swear to you, charlie,” he said, “that i won’t start anything myself, if that’s what you want. of course, if crawford tries anything on me i’ll have to defend myself. you couldn’t expect me to take it without lifting a finger.”

“certainly not,” the young doctor agreed. “mind you, though, you’ve got to refrain from anything hostile, unless you actually catch him in an attempt on you—which is out of the question, as he would be incapable of doing such a thing.”

“incapable your grandmother!” was the scornful response. “you don’t know win crawford as well as i do. i’ve given you my word, though. now what else do you want?”

“i want you to remember what will happen to you if you fail to keep this oath. will you?”

“i ain’t likely to forget. is that all? what was it you wanted me to do in new york?”

“to go to see some one who can help you, if any one can.”

“you mean a doctor?”

“yes, a great one—the head of one of the biggest hospitals in the city.”

“look here!” stone burst out angrily. “are you trying to have me sent to an asylum?”

“not at all,” floyd hastened to say in a soothing tone. “doctor follansbee isn’t very keen on asylums, except as a last resort. he’s a famous specialist in nervous and mental diseases, but his chief aim is always to keep people out of asylums, if possible; in other words, to cure them without interfering with their liberty or branding them as insane. i desire you to go to him—in fact, i must insist upon your doing so, if i’m to shield you from the consequences of this morning’s act. if, as i suspect, your mind is slightly affected in this one respect, he may be able to help you very easily, and if he does, you’ll never cease to be grateful to him. if, on the other hand, he finds you perfectly sane, there will be nothing more to be said, and i’ll continue to keep silence unless you make some further attempt on mr. crawford. you need not fear to consult doctor follansbee. as i say, he’ll never think of sending a man like you to an asylum, and, as people go to him for all sorts of nervous troubles as well as for operations, no one outside will draw any conclusions if your visit to him is known. will you promise to call on him as soon as you reach new york?”

“i suppose so,” stone agreed reluctantly. “it’s mighty hard lines to be ordered about like this, and sent to one of those confounded alienist fellows, but you’ve got the whip hand just now, charlie, and it’s up to me to take my medicine. where will i find the wonderful follansbee?”

doctor floyd took a letter from his pocket, removed the envelope, and scribbled the name and address on the back. when he handed it to stone the latter read:

“doctor stephen follansbee, st. swithin’s hospital, amsterdam avenue, new york city.”

“there you are,” floyd said. “i know you don’t want to do this, mr. stone, and that it’s all you can stand to have me make this condition, but i’m afraid you’ll have to put up with it. it’s that—or the other, and i imagine you would find a trial and conviction for attempted murder a little more irksome than either of the things i have asked you to do.”

“i guess that’s right,” admitted the miner. “you’re a good fellow, charlie, and i know you mean well. you’ve rubbed it in pretty thoroughly, and there’s a lot you don’t understand; but i reckon i’m lucky at that. i’ll keep my hands off win crawford until i’ve the chance to see this follansbee person. after that—well, we’ll see what we shall see.”

“that’s all i can ask at present,” floyd returned, “and you can rely on doctor follansbee’s word. he’s a queer-looking individual, and very eccentric. you needn’t be surprised if he seems to agree with everything you say about mr. crawford. his methods are all his own, and they seem very peculiar at times, but he gets results in the most wonderful way. i know, because i studied under him in medical school. he’s far from a beauty, and has a manner which antagonizes a good many, but he’s too big to care about that. here comes mr. crawford, though. remember your promise, and don’t try any tricks!”