Take one road or the other, you--you scandalmonger."

Never a patient man, he too gave rein to his anger. "Since you want to
know, I'm going down--to Battle Butte, where I'll likely meet yore
friend Beaudry and settle an account or two with him. I reckon before
I git through with him he'll yell something besides Cornell."

The girl laughed scornfully. "Last time I saw him he had just beaten a
dozen or so of you. How many friends are you going to take along this
trip?"

Already her horse was taking the trail. She called the insult down to
him over her shoulder. But before she had gone a half-mile her eyes
were blind with tears. Why did she get so angry? Why did she say such
things? Other girls were ladylike and soft-spoken. Was there a streak
of commonness in her that made possible such a scene as she had just
gone through? In her heart she longed to be a lady--gentle, refined,
sweet of spirit. Instead of which she was a bad-tempered tomboy.
"Miss Spitfire" her brothers sometimes called her, and she knew the
name was justified.

Take this quarrel now with Brad. She had had no intention of breaking
with him in that fashion. Why couldn't she dismiss a lover as girls in
books do, in such a way as to keep him for a friend? She had not
meant, anyhow, to bring the matter to issue to-day. One moment they
had been apparently the best of comrades. The next they had been
saying hateful things to each other. What he had said was
unforgivable, but she had begun by accusing him of complicity in the
train robbery. Knowing how arrogant he was, she might have guessed how
angry criticism would make him.

Yet she was conscious of a relief that it was over with at last.
Charlton was proud. He would leave her alone unless she called him to
her side. Her tears were for the humiliating way in which they had
wrenched apart rather than for the fact of the break.

She knew his temper. Nothing on earth could keep him from flying at
the throat of Roy Beaudry now. Well, she had no interest in either of
them, she reminded herself impatiently. It was none of her business
how they settled their differences. Yet, as Blacky followed the stiff
trail to Big Flat Top, her mind was wretchedly troubled.

Beulah had expected to find her columbines in a gulch back of Big Flat
Top, but the flowers were just past their prime here. The petals fell
fluttering at her touch. She hesitated. Of course, she did not have
to get colum