Were her pride and courage abased, too? Roy would not let himself
believe it. The way of youth is to deny the truth of all signposts
which point to the futility of beauty and strength. It would be a kind
of apostasy to admit that her sweet, lissom grace might be forever
crushed and bruised.

They rode hard and steadily. Before dusk they were well up toward the
divide among the wooded pockets of the hills. From one of these a man
came to meet them.

"It's Hal Rutherford," announced Ryan, who was riding in front with
Dingwell.

The owner of the horse ranch nodded a greeting as he drew up in front
of them. He was unshaven and gaunt. Furrows of anxiety lined his face.

"Anything new, Hal?" asked Dave.

"Not a thing. We're combing the hills thorough."

"You don't reckon that maybe a cougar--?" Ryan stopped. It occurred
to him that his suggestion was not a very cheerful one.

Rutherford looked at the little Irishman from bleak eyes. The misery
in them was for the moment submerged in a swift tide of hate. "A
two-legged cougar, Pat. If I meet up with him, I'll take his hide off
inch by inch."

"Meaning Meldrum?" asked Roy.

"Meaning Meldrum." A spasm of pain shot across the face of the man.
"If he's done my little girl any meanness, he'd better blow his head
off before I get to him."

"Don't believe he'd dare hurt Miss Beulah, Rutherford. Meldrum belongs
to the coyote branch of the wolf family. I've noticed it's his night
to howl only when hunters are liable to be abed. If he's in this thing
at all, I'll bet he's trying to play both ends against the middle.
We'll sure give him a run for his white alley," Dingwell concluded.

"Hope you're right, Dave," Rutherford added in a voice rough with the
feeling he could not suppress: "I appreciate it that you boys from the
Lazy Double D came after what has taken place."

Dave grinned cheerfully. "Sho, Hal! Maybe Beaudry and I aren't
sending any loving-cups up to you and yours, but we don't pull any of
that sulk-in-the-tent stuff when our good friend Beulah Rutherford is
lost in the hills. She went through for us proper, and we ain't going
to quit till we bring her back to you as peart and sassy as that calf
there."

"What part of the country do you want us to work?" asked Ryan.

"You can take Del Oro and Lame Cow Creeks from the divide down to the
foothills," Rutherford answered. "I'll send one of the boys over to
boss the round-up. He'll know