sitor. He wished he would go.

"You really must see our plant before you go back," said Strange; "the
model farm, the dairy herd, the flourmill, the sawmill. Will you come
up to-morrow and let me take you about?"

His glibness had the effect of rendering Ambrose monosyllabic. "No,"
he said.

"Oh, I say," said Strange, laughing, "what did you come to Fort
Enterprise for if you feel that way about us?"

Under his careless air Ambrose thought he distinguished a certain
eagerness to hear the answer. So he said nothing.

"I'm afraid you and the old gentleman must have had words," Strange
went on, still smiling. "Take it from me, his bark is worse than his
bite. If he broke out at you, he's sorry for it now. It takes half my
time to fix up his little differences with the people here."

He paused to give the other an opportunity to speak. Ambrose remained
mum.

"The old man certainly has a rough side to his tongue," murmured
Strange insinuatingly.

"You're jumping to conclusions," said Ambrose coolly. "John Gaviller
gave me no cause for offense. I was well entertained at his house."

"U-m!" said Strange. He seemed rather at a loss. Presently he went on
to tell in a careless voice of the coyote hunts they had. Afterward he
casually inquired how long Ambrose meant to stay in the neighborhood.

"I don't know," was the blunt answer.

"Well, really!" said Strange with his laugh--the sound of it was
becoming highly exasperating to Ambrose. "I don't want to pry into
your affairs, but you must admit it looks queer for you to be camping
here on the edge of the company reservation without ever coming in."

Ambrose was wroth with himself for not playing a better part, but the
man affected him with such repugnance he could not bring himself to
dissimulate, "Sorry," he said stiffly. "You'll have to make what you
can of it."

Strange got up. His candid air now had a touch of manly pride. "Oh, I
can take a hint!" he said. "Hanged if I know what you've got against
me!"

"Nothing whatever," said Ambrose.

"I come to you in all friendliness--"

"Thought you said you stumbled on me," interrupted Ambrose.

"I mean of course when I saw you here I came in friendliness," Strange
explained with dignity.

"Well, go in friendliness, and no harm done on either side," said
Ambrose coolly.

For a brief instant Strange lost his benignant air. "I've lived north
all my life," he said. "And I never met with the lik