eres, an' he's crazy about hosses."

Slone did not need any warning like that, nor any information to make
him curious regarding young Creech. Lucy had seen to that, and, in
fact, Slone was anxious to meet this half-witted fellow who had so
grievously offended and threatened Lucy. That morning, however, Creech
did not put in an appearance. The village had nearly returned to its
normal state now, and the sleepy tenor of its way. The Indians, had
been the last to go, but now none remained. The days were hot while the
sun stayed high, and only the riders braved its heat.

The morning, however, did not pass without an interesting incident.
Brackton approached Slone with an offer that he take charge of the
freighting between the Ford and Durango. "What would I do with
Wildfire?" was Slone's questioning reply, and Brackton held up his
hands. A later incident earned more of Slone's attention. He had
observed a man in Brackton's store, and it chanced that this man heard
Slone's reply to Brackton's offer, and he said: "You'll sure need to
corral thet red stallion. Grandest hoss I ever seen!"

That praise won Slone, and he engaged in conversation with the man, who
said his name was Vorhees. It developed soon that Vorhees owned a
little house, a corral, and a patch of ground on a likely site up under
the bluff, and he was anxious to sell cheap because he had a fine
opportunity at Durango, where his people lived. What interested Slone
most was the man's remark that he had a corral which could not be
broken into. The price he asked was ridiculously low if the property
was worth anything. An idea flashed across Slone's mind. He went up to
Vorhees's place and was much pleased with everything, especially the
corral, which had been built by a man who feared horse-thieves as much
as Bostil. The view from the door of the little cabin was magnificent
beyond compare. Slone remembered Lucy's last words. They rang like
bells in his ears. "Don't go--don't!" They were enough to chain him to
Bostil's Ford until the crack of doom. He dared not dream of what they
meant. He only listened to their music as they pealed over and over in
his ears.

"Vorhees, are you serious?" he asked. "The money you ask is little
enough."

"It's enough an' to spare," replied the man. "An' I'd take it as a
favor of you."

"Well, I'll go you," said Slone, and he laughed a little irrationally.
"Only you needn't tell right away that I bought you out."

The deal w