And if I were permitted to buy a
block of stock on as good terms as anybody I would take it."

"That goes, of course," Angus agreed, "and it doesn't by any means
cancel our obligation to you. And now I must be drifting. My wife is
alone, and I was to have been back by supper."

"You'll have a dark ride."

"My horse has good feet. Good night, judge, and thank you again."

The wind struck Angus hard as he left the office. It was blowing great
guns, and as the judge had said, it was very dark. When he left the
lights behind it was better as his eyes became accustomed to the
darkness. But ragged clouds hung low, and the mountains usually visible
against even the sky of night could not be seen. The wind was roaring
through the tops of the firs with a sound of running waves. But the road
was good, and when Chief of his own notion struck into a long,
trail-devouring lope, he did not check him.

He was suddenly anxious to get back to Faith. He wished to tell her the
good news, but that did not account for the uneasy feeling that
possessed him, tugging at his ordinarily steady nerves. There seemed to
be no reason for it; yet it persisted and even increased. He realized
with disgust that he was nervous. Something seemed to impend. The roar
of the wind was sinister, minatory. The darkness seemed to hover above
like a bird of prey, ready to strike. He swore angrily at himself for
such fancies.

"I've got the nerves of a squirrel to-night," he muttered. "I'll be
seeing things next. Go on, Chief, old boy! Leak out of here!"

With the touch of his feel the big chestnut settled to the business of
covering ground. The wind increased, and with it came rain, huge drops
driving like buckshot, stinging as they hit. Somewhere off the road a
tree snapped and crashed down.

"Timber!" Angus shouted to the darkness, for the storm and the pace were
getting into his blood, and with their entry his nervousness was
replaced by a feeling of exhilaration. Then the chestnut rose in a clean
sailing jump, and Angus realized that he had cleared a fallen tree. But
he did not slacken speed.

They were off the main road now, on the less used trail, and the ranch
was little over a mile distant. Angus could picture Faith waiting,
wondering what had detained him, perhaps a little anxious because of the
storm. She would laugh when he told her that he had suffered from
nerves. She--

Chief snorted, leaped, and something caught Angus across the chest.