d consideration.
He had no compunction about robbing her, but she could scarcely be
expected to enter further into his schemes and calculations, especially at
a time when his whole mind must be a turmoil of doubt and fear and
uncertainty as to the future.

Nevertheless, Buck wished more than once that he had been able to get in
touch with her since that memorable afternoon when he had watched her
ride out of sight down the little canyon, if only to prepare her for what
was going on. It must have been very hard for her to go about day after
day, knowing nothing, suspecting a thousand things, fretting, worrying,
with not a soul to confide in, yet forced continually to present an
untroubled countenance to those about her.

"Thank the Lord it'll soon be over and she'll be relieved," he thought,
when they finally came in sight of the ranch-house.

As the posse swept through the lower gate and up the slope, Buck's eyes
searched the building keenly. Not a soul was in sight, either there or
about the corrals. He had seen it thus apparently deserted more than once
before, and told himself now that his uneasiness was absurd. But when the
girl suddenly appeared on the veranda and stood staring at the approaching
horsemen, Buck's heart leaped with a sudden spasm of intense relief, and
unconsciously he spurred his horse ahead of the others.

As he swung himself out of the saddle, she came swiftly forward, her face
glowing with surprise and pleasure.

"Oh, I'm so glad you've come," she said in a low, quick voice, clasping
his outstretched hand. "We've been worrying--You--you're quite all right
now?"

"Fine and dandy," Buck assured her. "Thanks to you, and Bud, I'm perfectly
whole again."

She greeted Jessup, who came up smiling, and then Sheriff Hardenberg was
presented.

"Very glad to meet you, Miss Thorne," he said. There was a faint twinkle
in his eyes as he glanced toward Stratton for an instant, his belief
confirmed as to the principal reason for Buck's desire to keep the secret
of the Shoe-Bar ownership. Then he became businesslike.

"Where's Lynch and the rest of 'em?" he asked briskly.

The girl's face grew suddenly serious. "I don't know," she answered
quickly. "They were all working about the barns until a strange cow-boy
rode in about two hours ago. I saw him pass the window but didn't think
much about it. About half an hour or so later I went out to give some
orders to Pedro; he's the cook, you know. But he wa