concerning
women.

He listened in silence to Angus' statement regarding the missing stock,
surveying him with a shrewd old eye.

"You think Injun kapswalla them moos-moos?" he asked with directness.

"I didn't say anybody stole them. I'm just trying to find out what's
become of them."

Paul Sam grunted. "All time white man lose moos-moos, lose kuitan, him
tumtum Injun steal um," he said. "All time blame Injun. Plenty cultus
Injun; plenty cultus white man, too."

"That's true," Angus admitted.

"You nanitch good for them moos-moos? Him all got brand?"

"Yes."

The old man reflected. "Spose man kapswalla um no sell um here," he
announced. "Drive um off--si-a-a-ah--then sell um."

This was precisely Rennie's reasoning.

"Where?" Angus queried. But on this point Paul Sam had no theory. Nobody
could tell, but some day it might be cleared up.

"Well, if you hear anything of my steers, let me know," continued Angus.

Paul Sam nodded. "Your father my tillikum," he said. "Him dam' good
skookum man. S'pose me hear, me tell you."

But the young eyes of Mary had sighted ponies to the left. She announced
this to her grandfather in soft, clucking gutturals.

"Goo'-by," said Paul Sam.

"Good-by," said Angus. "Good-by, Mary."

The girl nodded, with a flash of white teeth and a glance which dwelt
for an instant admiringly on Angus' long, lean body. Then she shook up
her fast pony and sailed away through the timber of the benchland to
round up the bunch of half-wild cayuses, while her grandfather followed
at a pace better suited to his years.

But the fall went and the snow came, and Angus got no news. It was a
heavy loss just then, which he could not afford. Somehow it must be made
up, and the only way he saw to do it was to cut cordwood. The price was
low and the haul was long, but it was a case, for he had to have the
money.

So all that winter he and Gus cut and split, while Rennie hauled and
Turkey looked after the house and the feeding. And so all through the
cold weather they made cordwood. It did not make up for the loss of the
steers, but it helped, and he was able to send money to Jean.

The long winter passed. The days lengthened and the sun mounted higher,
so that it was warm on the south side of house and barn and stack. The
snow went in a glorious, booming Chinook wind that draped the ranges
with soft, scudding clouds, and set every gulch roaring with waters.
The ground thawed, and earth-smells str