“He had plenty of reasons for that.  But it’s funny Welton didn’t recognize the whelp.”

“Mr. Welton never saw him,” Bob explained—­“that is, until Newmark was dead.  Then he recognized him instantly.  What was it all about?”

Orde indicated the bench on the canon’s edge.

“Let’s sit,” said he.  “Newmark and I made our start together.  For eight years we worked together and built up a very decent business.  Then, all at once, I discovered that he was plotting systematically to do me out of every cent we had made.  It was the most cold-blooded proposition I ever ran across.”

“Couldn’t you prove it on him?” asked Bob.

“I could prove it all right; but the whole affair made me sick.  He’d always been the closest friend, in a way, I had ever had; and the shock of discovering what he really was drove everything else out of my head.  I was young then.  It seemed to me that all I wanted was to wipe the whole affair off the slate, to get it behind me, to forget it—­so I let him go.”

“I don’t believe I’d have done that.  Seems to me I’d have had to blow off steam,” Bob commented.

Orde smiled reminiscently.

“I blew off steam,” [A] said he.  “It was rather fantastic; but I actually believe it was one of the most satisfactory episodes in my life.  I went around to his place—­he lived rather well in bachelor quarters, which was a new thing in those days—­and locked the door and told him just why I was going to let him off.  It tickled him hugely—­for about a minute.  Then I finished up by giving him about the very worst licking he ever heard tell of.”

[Footnote A:  See “The Riverman.”]

“Was that what you told him?” cried Bob.

“What?”

“Did you say those words to him?—­’I’m going to give you the very worst licking you ever heard tell of’?”

“Why, I believe I did.”

Bob threw back his head and laughed.

“So did I!” he cried; and then, after a moment, more soberly.  “I think, incidentally, it saved my life.”

“Now what are you driving at?” asked Orde.

“Listen, this is funny:  Newmark had me kidnapped by one of his men, and lugged off to a little valley in the mountains.  The idea was to keep me there until after the trial, so my testimony would not appear.  You see, none of our side knew I had that testimony.  I hadn’t told anybody, because I had been undecided as to what I was going to do.”

Orde whistled.

“I got away, and had quite a time getting home.  I’ll tell you all the details some other time.  On the road I met Newmark.  I was pretty mad, so I lit into him stiff-legged.  After a few words he got scared and pulled a gun on me.  I was just mad enough to keep coming, and I swear I believe he was just on the point of shooting, when I said those very same words:  ’I’m going to give you the very worst licking you ever heard tell of.’  He turned white as a sheet and dropped his gun.  I thought he was a coward; but I guess it was conscience and luck.  Now, wouldn’t that come and get you?”