e girl. She recalled the time that Dan had nearly put out
her eyes, when she was only four years old. She had been playing with
him and when she lifted her face to his in answer to some question, he
had thrown a great box of sand straight into her wide-open eyes. It was
curious how well Jack remembered the deed at this moment.

"Let me go, I'll have you in jail for this. What do you mean by
trespassing on my land?" Dan yelled.

Jim laughed and drew Dan closer to him. "Don't get so upset, sonnie, I
am not going to trespass on your land," he urged quietly. "This rope is
just a little scheme of mine to make you cross the great divide between
your ranch and ours, while we talk a few things over." Jim hauled Dan
through an opening in the fence.

Jack dared not look straight at them. She did feel it would be too
hateful of her to laugh out loud, yet how could she help it? Dan was so
desperately angry that it made him fume and fuss and jump about like an
excited rooster, and his red head did suggest a rooster's comb.

"Look out, Jim," Jack sang out. "Here come the men Dan was signaling."

Across one of the Norton fields, with their gaze centered on the clump
of sage where they expected to find their young master, marched three
cowboys from the Norton ranch.

"Come here," Dan shouted, trying in vain to loosen one of his hands to
wave to his men.

Jim slipped one of his Colts out of its holster and passed it over to
Jack. "Just keep this for me, will you, Miss Ralston?" he asked
politely. "There won't be any use for it, but there is no harm in having
it handy."

Jim spoke to the puzzled ranchmen and greeted them calmly. "Come as far
as you like on your own side of the fence," he said, "but kindly stop
right there. I have a few questions I would like to ask Mr. Daniel
Norton, Jr., and I wouldn't object to some witnesses. Needn't be afraid,
the earthquake is all over. Mr. Norton and I are going to talk quite
neighborly and friendly like, as soon as he cools off a bit."

Jim Colter spoke so quietly that the men who watched him knew he meant
business. You see Jim's reputation was that he was one of the most
dangerous men in the country when he was aroused, and there was no doubt
of his present feeling.

The three men nodded respectfully. They did not wish to have a fight,
for if they attacked Jim and tried to get Dan Norton away from him, he
would undoubtedly use his pistol, and then there was Jacqueline.

The cowboys j