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 T was at this time that Rainbow began to talk in whispers about Judge Crane. The gist of them in the beginning was embodied in the words of old Sile Weaver, who said one day in the post office, “Jedge Crane hain’t contrivin’ to come out as well as he calc’lated, seems as though.” Hammond, the grocer, who sold the Judge supplies for his camp, contributed to the growing opinion that Crane might not be a giant of finance after all by his continuous expression of worry, and by ill-natured remarks which demonstrated he was not wholly at ease respecting the payment of the account…. In a week Rainbow seethed with gossip and with sub-surface speculations as to how the Judge was going to “make out….” Crane’s manner did nothing to reassure the doubters.

The man was desperate. He must prosecute his work with extraordinary enterprise in order to avert ruin, but he had not a penny with which to continue. He was face to face with the impossibility of meeting his next week’s payroll.