le life."

Nora, as it chanced, knocked and entered at his moment. The sight of
her vivid good looks truck him for the first time. At sight of him
she stopped, gazing with parted lips, a double row of pearls shining
through.

He turned swiftly to the mistress. "Y'u ought not to be alone there
among so many men. It wouldn't be proper. We'll take the girl along with
us."

"Where?" Nora's parted lips emitted.

"To Arden, my dear." He interrupted himself to look at his watch. "I
wonder why that fellow doesn't come with the horses. They should pass
this window."

Bannister, standing jauntily with his feet astride as he looked out
of the window, heard someone enter the room. "Did y'u bring round the
horses?" he snapped, without looking round.

"NO, WE ALLOWED THEY WOULDN'T BE NEEDED."

At sound of the slow drawl the outlaw wheeled like a flash, his hand
traveling to the hilt of the revolver that hung on his hip. But he was
too late. Already two revolvers covered him, and he knew that both his
cousin and McWilliams were dead shots. He flashed one venomous look at
the mistress of the ranch.

"Y'u fooled me again. That lamp business was a signal, and I was too
thick-haided to see it. My compliments to y'u, Miss Messiter."

"Y'u are under arrest," announced his cousin.

"Y'u don't say." His voice was full of sarcastic admiration. "And you
done it with your little gun! My, what a wonder y'u are!"

"Take your hand from the butt of that gun. Y'u better relieve him of
it, Mac. He's got such a restless disposition he might commit suicide by
reaching for it."

"What do y'u think you're going to do with me now y'u have got me,
Cousin Ned?"

"We're going to turn y'u over to the United States Government."

"Guess again. I have a thing, or two to say to that."

"You're going to Gimlet Butte with us, alive or dead."

The outlaw intentionally misunderstood. "If I've got to take y'u, then
we'll say y'u go dead rather than alive."

"He was going to take Nora and me with him," Helen explained to her
friends.

Instantly the man swung round on her. "But now I've changed my mind,
ma'am. I'm going to take my cousin with me instead of y'u ladies."

Helen caught his meaning first, and flashed it whitely to her lover. It
dawned on him more slowly.

"I see y'u remember, Miss Messiter," he continued, with a cruel, silken
laugh. "He gave me his parole to go with me whenever I said the word.
I'm saying it now." He sat down astri