had been done for him, he never
knew the subtle working for his welfare.

Thus it was, all unobserved by him, the moment he was at sufficient
distance from the ranch, three horsemen suddenly appeared from amidst
the most adjacent point of the forest on the far side of the valley
and galloped across to the house. They ran their horses to cover
amongst the buildings and dismounted, immediately vanishing into one
of the barns.

And as they disappeared a good deal of laughter, a good deal of
forceful talk, came from the place which had swallowed them up. Then,
after awhile, the three reappeared in the open, and with them came an
old choreman, whose joints ached, and whose villainous temper had
seriously suffered under the harsh bonds which had held him secure
from interference with Scipio for so long.

The men herded him out before them, quite heedless of his bitter
vituperation and blasphemy. And when they had driven him forth Sunny
Oak pointed out to him the retreating buckboard as it vanished over
the far hillside.

"Ther' they go, you miser'ble old son of a moose," he cried with a
laugh. "Ther' they go. An' I guess when James gits around ag'in you'll
likely pay a mighty fine reck'nin'. An' I'll sure say I won't be a
heap sorry neither. You've give me a power o' trouble comin' along out
here. I ain't had no sort o' rest fer hours an' hours, an' I hate
folks that sets me busy."

"You're a pizenous varmint, sure," added Sandy, feeling that Sunny
must not be allowed all the talk. "An' your langwidge is that bad I'll
need to git around a Bible-class ag'in to disinfect my ears."

"You sure will," agreed Toby, with one of his fatuous grins. "I never
see any feller who needed disinfectin' more." Then he turned upon the
evil-faced choreman and added his morsel of admonition. "Say, old man,
as you hope to git buried yourself when James gits around ag'in, I
guess you best go an' dig that miser'ble cur o' yours under, 'fore he
gits pollutin' the air o' this yer valley, same as you are at the
moment. He's cost me a goodish scrap, but I don't grudge it him
noways. Scrappin's an elegant pastime, sure--when you come out right
end of it."

After that, cowed but furious, the old man was allowed to depart, and
the three guardians of Scipio's person deliberately returned to their
charge. Their instructions were quite clear, even though they only
partially understood the conditions making their work necessary.
Scipio must be safeg