wo were old enough to settle their
troubles between them. So Bissell, remembering his last miserable
interview with his daughter, decided not to interfere.

"Father, I'm married; please be happy and good to me," the girl said,
clinging to him, and the fury that had flown to his head like wine died a
natural death. After all, to see her happy was what he most wanted.

"Are you sure he will love you always?" he asked gently.

"Yes, father, I am. I refused to marry him long ago in Chicago." He kissed
her for the first time in a long while, and then gently disengaged himself
and took a step toward Bud.

"Larkin," he said, "yuh were always lucky, but yuh've beat all records for
Wyoming now. I allow yuh can take her away with yuh on one condition."

"What's that?"

"That yuh never beat her like yuh beat me."

"Agreed!" laughed Bud, and grasped the other's hand. "But can you stand a
sheepman in the family?"

"I sure can, Larkin. Ever since I seen Jimmie Welsh and his men fight, I
ain't got anythin' against sheepmen."

"Jimmie Welsh!" cried Bud. "Tell me, did any of his party come through
alive?"

"Jes' Jimmie himself; the boys couldn't kill him, so he's over at Billy
Speaker's mendin' up. Heart's pretty near broke because he hasn't seen yuh
to explain why he's still alive."

"Good old Jimmie!" said Bud, the tears leaping to his eyes. "Dearest," he
added, turning to Julie, "there's one more stop on our honeymoon, and
that's at Billy Speaker's to-morrow."

Bissell continued the conversation, and asked for the full story of how
Bud had run down and captured the rustlers, saying that the whole cow
country owed him a debt, and if they had only known of the capture in
time would have let his sheep through without protest.

"I imagined as much," remarked Bud; "but I didn't care to get them through
that way once I had started the other. I hope, Mr. Bissell, that we can be
friends, although we have been enemies up to now. I'm sorry I had to
sacrifice those cattle of the association, but there was no other way out
of it."

"I'll tell yuh this, Larkin," returned Bissell. "Anybody that can beat me
at anything is good enough to be my friend fer life, an' I'm here to state
that yuh could count my friends of that type, before you came, on the
hairs of a hairless dog!"

Bud laughed, they shook hands again, and peace was finally made between
them; but not until Beef Bissell had signed away half of the interest in
the Bar T t