"Why, I blamed you for that ditch business," Angus said.
"I know you did—now; but I didn't know it that night when you came to my shack."
Turkey proceeded. He told of seeing Braden take the documents from French's safe, and of how he had obtained them.
Angus scanned the deeds which Faith handed him, and going to a desk in the corner found those which French had given Faith. He spread them on the table and the four bent above them. Faith caught her breath sharply.
"The description of the land is different!" she cried.
"Yes, it throws your land further west—all of it. According to this your west line would be about where we thought it was—where French originally told you it ran."
"Then—?"
"Then if these are the original deeds, you own the coal prospect that Braden is developing."
"If they are the originals the others must be forgeries."
"Yes. It's plain enough. The originals were made by Braden and witnessed by French. Somehow they found this coal and then they tried to buy you out. When you wouldn't sell but demanded your deeds, they prepared new ones, moving your block east and leaving out the coal lands. That was easy, because Braden owned land on either side of yours. All they had to do was to sign the new deeds themselves. Where they slipped up was in not destroying the originals. I don't understand that, unless French thought their possession would give him a hold on Braden if he didn't play fair with the coal. Braden should have destroyed them when he stole them from French."