merely as an onlooker."

He looked fairly at Trevison, his eyes gleaming with cold derision. The
expression maddened the other beyond endurance, and his eyes danced the
chill glitter of meditated violence, unrecking consequences.

"You're a sneaking crook, Corrigan, and you know it! You're going too far!
You've had Braman appointed in order to escape the responsibility! You're
hiding behind him like a coward! Come out into the open and fight like a
man!"

Corrigan's face bloated poisonously, but he made no hostile move. "I'll
kill you for that some day!" he whispered. "Not now," he laughed
mirthlessly as the other stiffened; "I can't take the risk right now--I've
too much depending on me. But you've been damned impertinent and
troublesome, and when I get you where I want you I'm going to serve you
like this!" And he took the cigar from his mouth, dropped it to the floor
of the car and ground it to pieces under his heel. He looked up again, at
Trevison, and their gaze met, in each man's eyes glowed the knowledge of
imminent action, ruthless and terrible.

Trevison broke the tension with a laugh that came from between his teeth.
"Why delay?" he mocked. "I've been ready for the grinding process since
the first day."

"Enough of this!" Corrigan turned to Gieger with a glance of cold
intolerance. "This man is a nuisance," he said to the deputy. "Carry out
the mandate of the court and order him away. If he doesn't go, kill him!
He is a trespasser, and has no right here!" And he glared at Trevison.

"You've got to get out, mister," said the deputy. He tapped his rifle
menacingly, betraying a quick accession of rage that he caught, no doubt,
from Corrigan. Trevison smiled coldly, and backed Nigger a little. For an
instant he meditated resistance, and dropped his right hand to the butt of
his pistol. A shout distracted his attention. It came from behind him--it
sounded like a warning, and he wheeled, to see Carson running toward him,
not more than ten feet distant, waving his hands, a huge smile on his
face.

"Domned if it ain't Trevison!" he yelled as he lunged forward and caught
Trevison's right hand in his own, pulling the rider toward him. "I've been
wantin' to spake a word wid ye for two weeks now--about thim cows which me
brother in Illinoy has been askin' me about, an' divvil a chance have I
had to see ye!" And as he yanked Trevison's shoulders downward with a
sudden pressure that there was no resisting, he whispe