d her heart beating a roll in her breast, Kate urged her
horse down the road.

And Belle's silence, her enigmatic face as she listened later to the
story only convinced Kate that her own apprehensions of trouble were
well founded. "It's coming," was all she could get Belle to mutter, as
Belle hobbled on a lame foot at meal time between the table and the
stove, "but nobody can say when or where." Both the women could tell
even earlier than this, from McAlpin's intimations, from watching
groups of men in the street and from the way in which those who could
have no direct interest in the affairs of the Falling Wall country were
hurrying to and fro, that Laramie had reached town with his prisoners
and was busy getting them jailed.

Kate, stunned by her father's utter coldness in casting her out, did
not want to talk about it. She had left home resolved to tell Belle
everything, despite the humiliating shame of the recital. But the
excitement of the ride and the stir in the town were excuses enough to
put off explaining. It was possible that her father might become as
ashamed of himself as she was of him--in which event, nothing said
would be best.

But when Bradley stopped the ranch wagon before Belle's cottage door
with Kate's suitcase and trunk, something was needed to satisfy Belle.
Kate's intimation that she should spend a few days in town, and might
be called East was somewhat disjointed, but at the moment, enough.
Bradley, however, after unloading the trunk and while Belle stood
wondering, reappeared at the door with two rifles.

"Lord A'mighty, man!" cried Belle, already stirred, "what're you doing
with them rifles?"

Bradley tried to placate his nervous questioner: "I'm just leavin' 'em
here, Belle, while I go down 'n' get a load o' feed," he explained with
dignity.

"Don't you believe you're leavin' any rifles here, Bill Bradley. This
is nobody's arsenal, I want you to know."

"Why, Belle, they belong t' the ranch," remonstrated Bradley.

"What's that got to do with it?" she exclaimed, turning from the door
and shutting it vigorously in Bradley's face as he stood discomfited.
"I wonder if everybody's going crazy in this country."

On this point Kate entertained convictions that she did not express.
She was only glad that Belle's curiosity, usually robust enough
concerning ranch happenings, was now under more engrossing pressure.

Concerning what was setting the town ablaze that day, only confused