off with him the day the
Sisters' title was confirmed, we thought nothing of it. But when he
came back from you he seemed worried and anxious, and wasn't a bit like
himself. We thought perhaps he'd got into some trouble there, or been
disappointed. He hadn't, had he, Mr. Brant?" continued Phoebe, with an
appealing look.

"By no means," said Clarence warmly. "On the contrary, he was able to do
his friends good service there, and was successful in what he attempted.
Mrs. Peyton was very grateful. Of course he told you what had happened,
and what he did for us," continued Clarence, with a smile.

He had already amused himself on the way with a fanciful conception
of the exaggerated account Jim had given of his exploits. But the
bewildered girl shook her head.

"No, he didn't tell us ANYTHING."

Clarence was really alarmed. This unprecedented abstention of Hooker's
was portentous.

"He didn't say anything but what I told you about law and order,"
she went on; "but that same night we heard a good deal of talking and
shouting in the cabin and around it. And the next day he was talking
with father, and wanting to know how HE kept his land without trouble
from outsiders."

"And I said," broke in Hopkins, "that I guessed folks didn't bother a
man with women folks around, and that I kalkilated that I wasn't quite
as notorious for fightin' as he was."

"And he said," also interrupted Mrs. Hopkins, "and quite in his nat'ral
way, too,--gloomy like, you remember, Cyrus," appealingly to her
husband,--"that that was his curse."

The smile that flickered around Clarence's mouth faded, however, as he
caught sight of Phoebe's pleading, interrogating eyes. It was really too
bad. Whatever change had come over the rascal it was too evident that
his previous belligerent personality had had its full effect upon the
simple girl, and that, hereafter, one pair of honest eyes would be
wistfully following him.

Perplexed and indignant, Clarence again closely questioned her as to the
personnel of the trespassing party who had been seen once or twice since
passing over the field. He had at last elicited enough information to
identify one of them as Gilroy, the leader of the party that had invaded
Robles rancho. His cheek flushed. Even if they had wished to take a
theatrical and momentary revenge on Hooker for the passing treachery to
them which they had just discovered, although such retaliation was
only transitory, and they could not ho