ver his thin, sunbaked face with its touch,
of bitterness, and she did not find it possible to dismiss the subject
without giving him a chance to set himself right.

"You can't be as bad as they say. You are not, are you?" she asked,
naively.

"What do y'u think?" he responded, coolly.

She flushed angrily at what she accepted as his insolence. "A man of any
decency would have jumped at the chance to explain."

"But if there is nothing to explain?"

"You are then guilty."

Their eyes met, and neither of them quailed.

"If I pleaded not guilty would y'u believe me?"

She hesitated. "I don't know. How could I when it is known by everybody?
And yet--"

He smiled. "Why should I trouble y'u, then, with explanations? I reckon
we'll let it go at guilty."

"Is that all you can say for yourself?"

He seemed to hang in doubt an instant, then shook his head and refused
the opening.

"I expect if we changed the subject I could say a good deal for y'u," he
drawled. "I never saw anything pluckier than the way y'u flew down from
the mesa and conducted the cutting-out expedition. Y'u sure drilled
through your punchers like a streak of lightning."

"I didn't know who you were," she explained, proudly.

"Would it have made any difference if y'u had?"

Again the angry flush touched her cheeks. "Not a bit. I would have saved
you in order to have you properly hanged later," she cut back promptly.

He shook his head gayly. "I'm ce'tainly going to disappoint y'u some.
Your enterprising punchers may collect me yet, but not alive, I reckon."

"I'll give them strict orders to bring you in alive."

"Did you ever want the moon when y'u was a little kid?" he asked.

"We'll see, Mr. Outlaw Bannister."

He laughed softly, in the quiet, indolent fashion that would have been
pleasant if it had not been at her. "It's right kind of you to take so
much interest in me. I'd most be willing to oblige by letting your boys
rope me to renew this acquaintance, ma'am." Then, "I get out here Miss
Messiter," he added.

She stopped on the instant. Plainly she could not get rid of him too
soon. "Haven't you forgot one thing?" she asked, ironically.

"Yes, ma'am. To thank you proper for what y'u did for me." He limped
gingerly down from the car and stood with his hand on one of the tires.
"I have been trying to think how to say it right; but I guess I'll have
to give it up. All is that if I ever get a chance to even the score--"

She waved