ered me.

"About getting drunk again," she said.

"I didn't break _that_ one."

"My cousin George saw you in the Hope So gambling place last night,
drunk, staggering, mixing with that riffraff, on the verge of a brawl."

"Miss Sampson, with all due respect to Mr. Wright, I want to say that he
has a strange wish to lower me in the eyes of you ladies," I protested
with a fine show of spirit.

"Russ, _were_ you drunk?" she demanded.

"No. I should think you needn't ask me that. Didn't you ever see a man
the morning after a carouse?"

Evidently she had. And there I knew I stood, fresh, clean-shaven,
clear-eyed as the morning.

Sally's saucy face grew thoughtful, too. The only thing she had ever
asked of me was not to drink. The habit had gone hard with the Sampson
family.

"Russ, you look just as--as nice as I'd want you to," Miss Sampson
replied. "I don't know what to think. They tell me things. You deny.
Whom shall I believe? George swore he saw you."

"Miss Sampson, did I ever lie to you?"

"Not to my knowledge."

Then I looked at her, and she understood what I meant.

"George has lied to me. That day at Sanderson. And since, too, I fear.
Do you say he lies?"

"Miss Sampson, I would not call your cousin a liar."

Here Sally edged closer, with the bridle rein of her horse over her arm.

"Russ, cousin George isn't the only one who saw you. Burt Waters told me
the same," said Sally nervously. I believed she hoped I was telling the
truth.

"Waters! So he runs me down behind my back. All right, I won't say a
word about him. But do you believe I was drunk when I say no?"

"I'm afraid I do, Russ," she replied in reluctance. Was she testing me?

"See here, Miss Sampson," I burst out. "Why don't you discharge me?
Please let me go. I'm not claiming much for myself, but you don't
believe even that. I'm pretty bad. I never denied the scraps, the
gambling--all that. But I did do as Miss Sally asked me--I did keep my
promise to you. Now, discharge me. Then I'll be free to call on Mr. Burt
Waters."

Miss Sampson looked alarmed and Sally turned pale, to my extreme joy.

Those girls believed I was a desperate devil of a cowboy, who had been
held back from spilling blood solely through their kind relation to me.

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Sally. "Diane, don't let him go!"

"Russ, pray don't get angry," replied Miss Sampson and she put a soft
hand on me that thrilled me, while it made me feel like a villain. "I
won'