own like a wild dog. At last, unable to stand it any
longer, he had come back to free her.

"That's good. Saves me the trouble of looking for you. I'm going to
give you a choice. You and I can settle this thing with guns right
here and now. That's one way out for you. I'll kill you where you
stand."

"W--what's the other way?" stammered the outlaw.

"The other way is for you to jump into that prospect hole. I'll ride
away and leave you there to starve."

"Goddlemighty! You wouldn't do that," Meldrum wheedled. "I didn't go
for to hurt Miss Rutherford any. Didn't I tell you I was drunk?"

"Dead or alive, you're going into that prospect hole. Make up your
mind to that."

The bad man moistened his dry lips with the tip of his tongue. He
stole one furtive glance around. Could he gun this man and make his
getaway?

"Are any of the Rutherfords back of that clump of aspens?" he asked in
a hoarse whisper.

"Yes."

"Do . . . do they know I'm here?"

"Not yet."

Tiny beads of sweat stood out on the blotched face of the rustler. He
was trapped. Even if he fired through the leather holster and killed
Beaudry, there would be no escape for him on his tired horse.

"Gimme a chanc't," he pleaded desperately. "Honest to God, I'll clear
out of the country for good. I'll quit belling around and live decent.
I'll--"

"You'll go into the pit."

Meldrum knew as he looked into that white, set face that he had come to
his day of judgment. But he mumbled a last appeal.

"I'm an old man, Mr. Beaudry. I ain't got many years--"

"Have you made your choice?" cut in Roy coldly.

"I'd do anything you say--go anywhere--give my Bible oath never to come
back."

"Perhaps I'd better call Rutherford."

The bad man made a trembling clutch toward him. "Don't you, Mr.
Beaudry. I'll--I'll go into the pit," he sobbed.

"Get in, then."

"I know you wouldn't leave me there to starve. That would be an awful
thing to do," the killer begged.

"You're finding that out late. It didn't worry you when Dave Dingwell
was being starved."

"I hadn't a thing to do with that--not a thing, Mr. Beaudry. Hal
Rutherford, he give the order and it was up to me to go through.
Honest, that was the way of it."

"And you could starve a girl who needed your help. That was all right,
of course."

"Mr. Beaudry, I--I was only learning her a lesson--just kinder playing,
y' understand. Why, I've knowed Miss Beulah ever since she wa