whether Jim's coming."

But Laramie did not come--greatly to Kate's relief. He spent the night
at the hotel and left town early. Next morning when Belle heard the
news of the street she was thankful he had gone, for it was said that
Van Horn and Stone were out of jail. Barb had been summoned in the
night by the lawyers, and next day the prisoners were out on bail.

Laramie had made no secret of his riding north, except that, in the
circumstances, he preferred to ride the night trail rather than the day
trail. He wanted to look up his cattle and see Simeral and he thought
he knew Barb well enough to be sure the stock would be sent back very
promptly in as bad condition as possible.

He got to his ranch in good time. There were no signs of life
anywhere. Riding about noon over to Simeral's he found his shack
empty. But he hunted up food and cooked himself a breakfast.

While he was eating peacefully at Simeral's, Van Horn was with Stone
and Doubleday, the three breakfasting in the back room of a Main Street
saloon. Just what took place at that breakfast was not figured out for
a long time afterward, if it really ever was. But the street heard
that Van Horn and Doubleday had had a quarrel at breakfast and that
Doubleday in a rage had turned the prisoners over to the sheriff and
asked to be released from his bail bond.

No news more exciting could have reached Belle Shockley. She heard the
story up street and ran halfway home to tell Kate, who remained in
seclusion. Kate herself was not less excited; the news meant so much
if it were true, and the butcher confirmed it beyond a doubt. By
nightfall everybody knew that Van Horn and Stone were locked up again.

One man in town was not altogether at ease over the day's developments.
Tenison spent much time that afternoon in the hotel billiard room, it
being the best clearing house for the street gossip.

He tried more than once during the afternoon to get hold of Kitchen or
Carpy--neither was in town--and with the day drawing to a close,
Tenison's restlessness increased. He was standing late in the evening
near a favorite corner at the upper end of the bar and above the
billiard tables, when among the crowd drifting in and out of the room
he caught sight of Ben Simeral. Tenison lost no time. Without moving,
he asked the nearest bartender to take a message to the old rancher.
And when Simeral passed through the door leading into the hotel,
Tenison was behin