at there was no opportunity of another meeting with the rancher's wife or daughter. They wer

o the room where they had had supper the previous evening. Y

much bustling activity to an accompaniment of friendly profanity. It was not yet six o'clock, but the sun was well up over the eastern ridges that frin

nts into order; Transley had a last word with Y.D., and the rancher, shou

ght sunshine had not awakened it; it lay

ich followed the general course of the stream. Huge hills, shouldering together, left at times only wagon-track room between; at other places they skirted dangerous cutbanks worn b

Drazk rode up, his face a

t Pete-horse's blanket down

and catch up on us this afternoon," said

h up on you this afternoon, sure," and he was off down

e strangest places. It took him mainly about the yard of the house,

round here?" he inquired, wi

ee hoss

ep

nd hoss

blanket for th

se h

," pr

you c

sed

d ho

bet

uh

us

hee horse bl

ad classified Drazk, and classified him correctly. "You catchee him, though-some hell, t

vealed nothing. He followed a path out by a little gate. His ruse had proven a blind trail, and there was nothing to do b

ng the sun. Drazk, for all his admiration of the sex, had little eye for detail. "A sort of chestnut,

nd Drazk instantly summoned a smirk which s

e bow. "I am Mr. Drazk-Mr. George Drazk-Mr. T

She turned on him eyes which set Drazk's pulses strangely a-tingle

how near he could come without frightening her away. He reached the fence and leaned his elbows on

orning, ma'am,

. "Why aren't you wit

own there. I rode away this morning and plumb forgot his blanket. So when Mr. Transley seen it he says, 'Drazk, take

O

red how long it would take him to bridge that distance. Even as he looked she leaned her elbows on the fence and rested one of her feet on the lowe

d, taking up the subject which lay most re

e no d

has seen some times. Whew! Things

en't you

led out of his depth by such a girl. Her face was motionless; her eyes fixed dreamily upon the brown prairies that swept up the flanks of the foothills

e rail and the motion brough

imagination into action, "there was the fell

note of admiration in her voice

d him there, right by the road where he fell.

"an' it makes you feel strange an' creepy, 'specially at nights. That is, the f

Have you kille

e, what knocks around all over with

few men nat'rally the police begins to wo

an interes

ch separated them. He was almost afraid to continue the conversation. He was finding progress so much easier than he had expected. It was evide

here comes a time when every decent man wants to settle down. I been thinkin' about that a lot latel

too far to stop. He must strike the iron when it was hot. Of course he had no de

How about you an' me

for a moment. The

you like this, Mr. Drazk. You

o-I mean, I don't c

," she continued. "There are things I'd

r rising about her cheeks and her frame trembling. He turned toward

th sudden rigidity

ed. "Tell me. I've

tter. "If I tell you, you will n

to you," dramatical

pole on which they were leaning, "I never told anyone before, and nobody in the world knows i

mured. It was wonderful to receiv

peated. "You see, he-he proposed

came to him gradually, like returning consciousness

me," he cried. "You'r

tested. "Now perhaps you better run alo

ook his fist at her, shouting, "All right, but I'll get you yet, see? You think you're smart, and

ened him. He jerked his horse up roughly, threw himself into the sa

outhern slope of the tongue of foothills which divided the two valleys of the Y

s your hurry?" Then, glancing at h

he had a quick wit, alt

laugh, "but when a fellow spends the morning chatting with old

O

don't believe I stood an' talked with her over the

eckon

portunity to present the incident in a l

somethin' she had never told anybody else, an' made me sw

s quite unperturbed. He knew somet

Linder's ear with a loud whisper. "And she called m

orge dear" idea a daring flight, even for Drazk. "Better not let old Y.D. hear you sp

I'll let Pete feed a bit here, and then we'll go back for his blanket. You'll hav

said

his imagination would readily expand that into a love scene. Zen! Even the placid, balanced Linder felt a slight leap in the blood at the unusual name, which to him suggested the bright girl who had come into his life the night before. Not exactly into his life; it would be

rlying plains that Y.D. expected his thousand tons of hay. There is no sleugh hay in the foothill country; the hay is cut on the uplands, a short, fine grass of great nutritive value. This grass, if uncut, cures in its natural state, and affords sustenance to the herds which graze over it all winter long. But it occasionally happens that after a snow-fall the Chinook wind will part

s sizes and magnificent distances. As he slowly turned his vision down the valley a speck in the distance caught his sight and brought him to his feet. Shadi

r dropped from his wagon and joined Transle

alley, and if they're satisfied to stay where they

ot, what?" de

, 'Cut it, spite o' hell an' high

, broad and shallow, with the typical boulder bottom of the mountain stream. The horses crowded into it, drinking greedily with a sort of droning noise caused b

men's sleeping tent and the two stable tents were flashing back the afternoon sun. They carried no eating tent; instead of that an eating wagon was backed up against the chuck wagon, and the men were served in it. They had not paused for a midday

wed prunes and canned tomatoes, pitchers of syrup and condensed milk, tins with marmalade and jam, and plates with butter sadly suffering from the summer heat. The cook filled their granite cups with hot tea from a granite pitcher, and when the cups were empty filled them again and again. And when the tables were partly cleared he brought out deep pies filled with raisins an

t of a man on horseback rapidly approaching. "Visitors, Transley," he was a

-knit, his figure had a suggestion of slightness which the scales would have belied. His face, keen and clean-shaven, was brown as the August hills, and above it his

"Don't let me disturb your meal. Afterwar

" said Tran

ed that he had finished, and, getting down from the wagon, led

. I am employed by Mr. Landson, who has a ranch down t

mistaken," Tr

nt, "in surmising that you are here on behalf of

" Transley's manner was that of a man prepare

neglected to give you one or two points of information bearing upon the ow

ley. "I like to look a man in the

y myself." He advanced to within arm's length of Transley and for a few moments the two men

rmise that you were sent here by Landson to forbid me to cut hay in this valley. On what authority he

ARE

uld be seen to go ten

stop me?"

ll be s

he contempt was not for the Force. It was for the rancher wh

You know Y.D., and doubtless you feel quite safe under his wing. But you don't know Landson. Neither do you know the facts of t

pted. "I have told you my instructions, and I have told you

ink he owned it. But Landson has been making a few inquiries. He finds that these are not Crown lands, but are privately owned by speculators in New York. He has contracted with the o

this," said Transley. "I have an extra rod and s

," and so saying Grant remounted, nodded to Transley and again to the men now s

aid Linder, coming up with

ncernedly. "Y.D. said cut the hay; 'spite o

st the plains were already wrapped in shadow. Up the valley crept the veil of night, hushing even the limitless quiet of the day. The stream babbled

e ashes from his p