The Highgrader

KILMENY'S ALERT EYES SWEPT AGAIN AND AGAIN THE TRAIL LEADING UP THE GULCH. HE DID NOT INTEND TO BE CAUGHT NAPPING BY THE OFFICERS. Frontispiece, p. 67 THE HIGHGRADER BY WILLIAM MacLEOD RAINE Author of "Wyoming," "Ridgway of Montana," "Bucky O'Connor," "A Texas Ranger," "Mavericks," "Brand Blotters," "Crooked Trails and Straight," "The Vision Splendid," "The Pirate of Panama," "A Daughter of the Dons," Etc. ILLUSTRATIONS BY D. C. HUTCHISON G. W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY PUBLISHERS NEW YORK Copyright, 1915, by G. W. DILLINGHAM COMPANY The Highgrader Contents PAGE I The Campers 11 II Mr. Verinder Complains 18 III Night Fishing 28 IV Fugitives From Justice 44 V "I'm Here, Neighbor" 56 VI Lord Farquhar Gives Moya a Hint 71 VII Moya's Highwayman 84 VIII The Bad Penny Again 102 IX "An Out and Out Rotter" 113 X Old Friends 123 XI A Blizzard 141 XII Out of the Storm a Man 157 XIII Shot to the Core with Sunlight 170 XIV "Prove It!... Prove It!" 180 XV A Highgrader—in Principle 189 XVI One Maid—Two Men 201 XVII A Warning 218 XVIII Two Ambushes 237 XIX Mr. Verinder is Treated to a Surprise 243 XX Colter Takes a Hand 250 XXI Spirit Rapping? 264 XXII The Acid Test 274 XXIII Captain Kilmeny Retires 284 XXIV Two in a Bucket 291 XXV Homing Hearts 309 Illustrations PAGE Kilmeny's alert eyes swept again and again the trail leading up the gulch. He did not intend to be caught napping by the officers. . . . Frontispiece 67 "He's hooked pretty fast. take your time about getting him into your net. These big fellows are likely to squirm away." 33 They rode through a world shot to the core with sunlight. The snow sparkled and gleamed with it. 177 THE HIGHGRADER PRELUDE A young idealist, ætat four, was selling stars to put in the sky. She had cut them with her own scissors out of red tissue paper, so that she was able to give a guarantee. "But you'll have to get the ladder out of our bedroom to put 'em up wiv," she told purchasers honestly. The child was a wild dark creature, slim and elfish, with a queer little smile that flashed sudden as an April sun. It was evening, on the promenade deck of an ocean liner. The sea was like glass and the swell hardly perceptible. Land was in sight, a…