ered at the object of her visit now.

Whatever malice he bore her, and his malice was of a nature only to be
understood by his warped mind, his admiration was none the less for
it. Not a detail of her appearance escaped his quick, lustful eyes.
Her dainty white shirt-waist was covered by the lightest of dust
coats, and her pretty face was shadowed by a wide straw hat which
protected it from the sun's desperate rays. Her deeply-fringed eyes
shone out from the shade, and set the blood pulsing through the man's
veins. He saw the perfect oval of her fair face, with its ripe, full
lips and delicate, small nose, so perfect in shape, so regular in its
setting under her broad open brow. Her wonderful hair, that
ruddy-tinted mass of burnished gold which was her most striking
feature, made him suck in a whistling breath of sensual appreciation.
Without a moment's hesitation, hat in hand he went to meet her.

As he came up his foxy eyes were alight with what he intended for a
grin of amiability. Whatever his peculiarly vindictive nature he was
more than ready to admit to himself the girl's charms.

"Say, Miss Golden," he cried, purposely giving her the name the
popular voice had christened her, "it's real pleasant of you to get
around. Guess the camp's a mighty dull show without its lady citizens.
Maybe you'll step right up into my storeroom. I got a big line of new
goods in from Leeson. Y' see the saloon ain't for such as you," he
laughed. "Guess it does for the boys all right. I'm building a slap-up
store next--just dry goods an' notions. Things are booming right now.
They're booming so hard there's no keepin' pace. I'll tie your hosses
to this post."

His manner was perfect in its amiability, but Joan detested it because
of the man. He could never disguise his personality, and Joan was
beginning to understand such personalities as his.

"Thanks," she said coldly, as, taking advantage of his being occupied
with the horses, she jumped quickly from the vehicle. "I came to mail
a letter," she said, as she moved on up to the big barn which was
Beasley's temporary storehouse, "and to give you a rather large order
for furnishing and things."

She produced a paper with her list of requirements, and handed it to
him.

"You see, I'm refurnishing the farm," she went on, while the man
glanced an appreciative eye over the extensive order. "Can you do
those things?" she asked as he looked up from his perusal.

"Why, yes. There's no