d; "there's a heap of explaining to be done. You can begin
now--one at a time!"

CHAPTER XVII

THE LINE CABIN

The two men had walked to a point near the big fireplace that occupied
the greater part of one end of the cabin. The hatless one, big,
assertive, belligerent, grinned defiantly, saying nothing in answer to
Lawler's words.

The other man, slighter, and plainly apprehensive, glanced swiftly at
his companion; then dropped his gaze to the floor.

"You skunks bunked here last night!" charged Lawler, sharply. "When I
was here, yesterday, these bunks were made up. Look at them now! Talk
fast. Were you here last night?"

The smaller man nodded.

"Why didn't you cut the fence last night?"

The smaller man grinned. "We wasn't aimin' to get caught."

"Expected there'd be line riders here, eh?"

The other did not answer. Lawler watched both men derisively.

"Then, when you saw no one was here, and that it was likely the norther
would keep anyone from coming, you cut the fence. That's it, eh?"

The two men did not answer, regarding him sullenly.

Lawler smiled. This time there was a cold mirth in his smile that caused
the two men to look quickly at each other. They paled and scowled at
what they saw in Lawler's eyes.

Half a dozen bunks ranged the side walls of the cabin, four on one side,
two on the other, arranged in tiers, upper and lower. A rough, square
table stood near the center of the room, with a low bench on one side of
it and several low chairs on the other. A big chuck-box stood in a
corner near the fireplace, its top half open, revealing the supplies
with which the receptacle was filled; some shelves on the other side of
the fireplace were piled high with canned foods and bulging packages.
The bunks were filled with bedclothing; and an oil-lamp stood on a
triangular shelf in a corner near the door. The walls were bare with the
exception of some highly colored lithographs that, evidently, had been
placed there by someone in whom the love of art still flourished.

It was cold in the cabin. A window in the north wall, with four small
panes of glass in it, was slowly whitening with the frost that was
stealing over it. In the corners of the mullions were fine snow drifts;
and through a small crevice in the roof a white spray filtered,
ballooning around the room. The temperature was rapidly falling.

During the silence which followed Lawler's words, and while the two
fence cutters watched