of whispered knowledge. On Sunk Creek and
on Bear Creek, and elsewhere far and wide, before men talked men seemed
secretly to know that Steve, and Ed, and Shorty, would never again be
seen. Riders met each other in the road and drew rein to discuss the
event, and its bearing upon the cattle interests. In town saloons men
took each other aside, and muttered over it in corners.

Thus it reached the ears of Molly Wood, beginning in a veiled and
harmless shape.

A neighbor joined her when she was out riding by herself.

"Good morning," said he. "Don't you find it lonesome?" And when she
answered lightly, he continued, meaning well: "You'll be having company
again soon now. He has finished his job. Wish he'd finished it MORE!
Well, good day."

Molly thought these words over. She could not tell why they gave her
a strange feeling. To her Vermont mind no suspicion of the truth would
come naturally. But suspicion began to come when she returned from her
ride. For, entering the cabin of the Taylors', she came upon several
people who all dropped their talk short, and were not skilful at
resuming it. She sat there awhile, uneasily aware that all of them
knew something which she did not know, and was not intended to know. A
thought pierced her--had anything happened to her lover? No; that was
not it. The man she had met on horseback spoke of her having company
soon again. How soon? she wondered. He had been unable to say when
he should return, and now she suddenly felt that a great silence had
enveloped him lately: not the mere silence of absence, of receiving
no messages or letters, but another sort of silence which now, at this
moment, was weighing strangely upon her.

And then the next day it came out at the schoolhouse. During that
interval known as recess, she became aware through the open window that
they were playing a new game outside. Lusty screeches of delight reached
her ears.

"Jump!" a voice ordered. "Jump!"

"I don't want to," returned another voice, uneasily.

"You said you would," said several. "Didn't he say he would? Ah, he said
he would. Jump now, quick!"

"But I don't want to," quavered the voice in a tone so dismal that Molly
went out to see.

They had got Bob Carmody on the top of the gate by a tree, with a rope
round his neck, the other end of which four little boys were joyously
holding. The rest looked on eagerly, three little girls clasping their
hands, and springing up and down with exciteme