spot where Al had waited so long
and was now trotting along the ridge on the next lap of Al's journey.

They reached the gate in time to meet Warfield and Hawkins face to face.
Hawkins gave Lone a quick, questioning look and nodded carelessly to
Swan. Warfield, having a delicate errand to perform and knowing how much
depended upon first impressions, pulled up eagerly when he recognized
Lone.

"Has the girl arrived safely, Lone?" he asked anxiously.

"What girl?" Lone looked at him noncommittally.

"Miss--ah--Hunter. Have you been away all the forenoon? The girl came to
the ranch in such a condition that I was afraid she might do herself or
some one else an injury. Has she been unbalanced for long?"

"If you mean Lorraine Hunter, she was all right last time I saw her, and
that was last night." Lone's eyes narrowed a little as he watched the
two. "You say she went to the Sawtooth?"

"She came pelting over there crazier than when you brought her in,"
Hawkins broke in gruffly. "She ain't safe going around alone like
that."

Senator Warfield glanced at him impatiently. "Is there any truth in her
declaring that Frank Johnson is dead? She seemed to have had a shock of
some kind. She was raving crazy, and in her rambling talk she said
something about Frank Johnson having died last night."

Lone glanced back as he led the way through the gate which Swan was
holding open. "He didn't die--he got killed last night," he corrected.

"Killed! And how did that happen? It was impossible to get two coherent
sentences out of the girl." Senator Warfield rode through just behind
Lone and reined close, lowering his voice. "No use in letting this get
out," he said confidentially. "It may be that the girl's dementia is
some curable nervous disorder, and you know what an injustice it would
be if it became noised around that the girl is crazy. How much English
does that Swede know?"

"Not any more than he needs to get along on," Lone answered,
instinctively on guard. "He's all right--just a good-natured kinda cuss
that wouldn't harm anybody."

He glanced uneasily at the house, hoping that Lorraine was safe inside,
yet fearing that she would not be safe anywhere. Sane or insane, she was
in danger if Senator Warfield considered her of sufficient importance to
bring him out on horseback to the Quirt ranch. Lone knew how seldom the
owner of the Sawtooth rode on horseback since he had high-powered cars
to carry him in soft comfort.

"