almost commanding, Elinor spent the hours
sometimes at her brother's bedside, then at that of her sister-in-law
when the poor creature could be induced to lie still a moment. The burly
little son and heir, long since sound asleep in his cradle, was watched
over by Jessie, whose heart fluttered in dread she dare not say of what.
Twice that afternoon she had seen whispered conferences between old
Folsom and Lannion. She knew that for some better reason than that he
was overpersuaded by Pappoose, Mr. Folsom had not carried out his
project of sending them back to Gate City. She saw that he made frequent
visits to the cellar and had changed the arrangement of the air ports.
She noted that the few ranch hands hung about the premises all day,
their rifles ever within reach, and that often Mr. Folsom took the
glasses and searched the road to Frayne. She saw that earth was being
heaped up in places against the ranch where the walls were thin or made
of boarding. She saw that water and provisions were being stored in the
cellar, and she knew that it could all mean only one thing--that the
Indians were again in force in the neighborhood, and that an Indian
siege was imminent.

And all this time Pappoose, though very brave, was so still and so
intent upon her duties. Even when supper was served for the ranch people
in the kitchen that evening, as the sun went down, Jess noted that two
of the men kept constantly in saddle, riding round the buildings and
anxiously scanning the open prairie on every side. There were only six
men, all told now, including Folsom (of course not counting Hal, who was
defenseless), altogether too small a number to successfully protect so
large a knot of buildings against an insidious and powerful foe, and
even of these six there were two who seemed so unstrung by tidings of
the massacre as to be nearly nerveless.

Darkness settled down upon the valley, and, though calm and collected,
Folsom seemed oppressed by the deepest anxiety. Every now and then he
would step forth into the night and make a circuit of the buildings,
exchange a word in low tone with some invisible guardian, for, heavily
armed, the employes were gathered at the main building, and the wife and
children of the chief herdsman were assigned to a room under its roof.
Particularly did Folsom pet and encourage the dogs, two of them splendid
mastiffs in whom Hal took unusual pride. Then he would return to his
son's bedside, bend anxiously over