xplain--"

"Explain who it was ran our brand on?" Charlie's voice was silk over
iron. "I'm afraid if I were forced into explanations, I'd have to tell
all I know, Miss Louise. Do you advise that--really?"

"I don't advise anything." Baffled and angry and hurt to the very soul
of her, Billy Louise opened the gate and went out. "It strikes me you
Cove folks are not wanting advice these days, or needing it. If you
know anything to tell, for heaven's sake don't hold back on my account!
It's nothing to me, one way or the other. I'm no rustler, and no
friend of rustlers, if that's what you're hinting at." She left them
with a proud lift to her chin and a very straight back, went to Blue,
and mounted him mechanically. Billy Louise was "seeing red" just then.
She rode back past the gate, the three were still standing there close
together, talking. Billy Louise swung round in the saddle so that she
faced them.

"You needn't worry, Marthy, about that school-money," she called out
angrily. "I'll take your word for it and pay you back every cent, with
legal rate of interest. And I'm darned glad I did shoot Surbus!"

"Oh, say, Miss Louise!" Charlie called placatingly. "Please don't go
away feeling--"

"You go to the devil!" Billy Louise flung back at him and touched Blue
with her heel. "I hope that shocked some of the politeness out of him,
anyway," she added grimly to herself. "Oh, I hate everything--Ward and
God and all! I hate life--I hate it!"

She pulled Blue down to a walk and rode slowly for a couple of rods,
fighting against the reaction that crept inexorably over her anger,
chilling it and making it seem weak and unworthy. With a sudden
impulse born of her stern instincts of justice, she jerked Blue around
and galloped back. Charlie had disappeared, and Peter Howling Dog was
walking sullenly toward the corraled cattle. Marthy was going slowly
up the path to the cabin, looking old and bent and broken-spirited
because of her bowed shoulders and stiff, rheumatic gait, but harsh and
unyielding as to her face. Billy Louise stopped by the fence and
called to her. Marthy turned, stared at her sourly, and stood where
she was.

"Wall, what d'yuh want now?" she asked uncompromisingly.

Billy Louise fought back an answering antagonism. She must be just;
she could not blame Marthy for feeling hard toward her. She had
insulted them horribly and killed Marthy's dog.

"I want to tell you I'm sorry I was s