heir eyes, as they looked each into the
other's face, seemed a trifle too soulful and trusting. He asked Miss
Fleming on the way home if she would go with him to the picnic to be
held in the wooded foothills on the following day. She laughed in his
face, and said she was going with Mr. Muggles. He saw it all. Civil
engineering and devotion had been cast over for a general store
interest, home relatives, Muggles, and devotion. He was jilted.

The reflections of John Gray that night, described by colors, may be
referred to as simply green and red--green for jealousy, red for
vengeance. He slept and had nightmares, and waked and made plans. It was
an awful night for him. But as morning came and his head cleared, the
instinct of jealousy lessened and that of vengeance increased. He arose
in the morning a more or less dangerous human being.

The picnic had no attraction for John Gray. He attended to business
about the headquarters of the expedition, and when noon came sat aside
and brooded. He thought to himself, "They are up there together, and
she has discarded me for this storekeeper, who knows nothing save how to
make close little trades and make and save money." Then a new and
broader range of thought came to him: "She is but following the instinct
of her family. Blood will tell. Both her father and mother are below the
grade which means the average of my own kind. She will in time show her
blood, who ever may marry her. That is the law of nature." This
encouraged him.

As his reasoning process became more smooth and true, he realized what
an escape he had had, and then, as he reviewed the story of the past
months, his desire for "evening up" things grew. It was low and mean, he
knew, but that made no difference. He must get even.

He thought over the situation. There they were, the elite of
Cougarville, up in a canyon of the foothills, beside a creek, where were
trees and turf and picturesque rocks, and were having a good time.
Muggles and Molly had no doubt withdrawn from the mass of picnickers,
and were billing and cooing together. His veins burned at the thought.
Oh, for some means of settling them! Then came an inspiration to him!

Gray's superior was away, but there had come to hand at last all the
material necessary for a renewed experiment. He had the kites, the
explosives, and the assistants. He had authority to act should his
superior not return on time. His superior was not on time. Was it not
more than