t hint of hate and loathing which detached
him from Gulden, faded from his bearing. "Gulden, I'll split the
difference between us. I'll leave you free to do as you like. But all
the others--every man--must take orders from me."

Gulden reached out a huge hand. His instant acceptance evidently amazed
Kells and the others.

"LET HER RIP!" Gulden exclaimed. He shook Kells's hand and then
laboriously wrote his name in the little book.

In that moment Gulden stood out alone in the midst of wild abandoned
men. What were Kells and this Legion to him? What was the stealing of
more or less gold?

"Free to do as you like except fight my men," said Kells. "That's
understood."

"If they don't pick a fight with me," added the giant, and he grinned.

One by one his followers went through with the simple observances that
Kells's personality made a serious and binding compact.

"Anybody else?" called Kells, glancing round. The somberness was leaving
his face.

"Here's Jim Cleve," said Pearce, pointing toward the wall.

"Hello, youngster! Come here. I'm wanting you bad," said Kells.

Cleve sauntered out of the shadow, and his glittering eyes were fixed
on Gulden. There was an instant of waiting. Gulden looked at Cleve. Then
Kells quickly strode between them.

"Say, I forgot you fellows had trouble," he said. He attended solely
to Gulden. "You can't renew your quarrel now. Gulden, we've all fought
together more or less, and then been good friends. I want Cleve to join
us, but not against your ill will. How about it?"

"I've no ill will," replied the giant, and the strangeness of his remark
lay in its evident truth. "But I won't stand to lose my other ear!"

Then the ruffians guffawed in hoarse mirth. Gulden, however, did not
seem to see any humor in his remark. Kells laughed with the rest. Even
Cleve's white face relaxed into a semblance of a smile.

"That's good. We're getting together," declared Kells. Then he faced
Cleve, all about him expressive of elation, of assurance, of power.
"Jim, will you draw cards in this deal?"

"What's the deal?" asked Cleve.

Then in swift, eloquent speech Kells launched the idea of his Border
Legion, its advantages to any loose-footed, young outcast, and he ended
his brief talk with much the same argument he had given Joan. Back there
in her covert Joan listened and watched, mindful of the great need of
controlling her emotions. The instant Jim Cleve had stalked into the
light she had