ting ready for me."

"Most like," said the gloomy Hervey, but his voice well-nigh trembled
with gratification.

The head of Jordan bowed again, but this time, as Hervey shrewdly
guessed, it was in thought, not in despair.

"Why," chuckled Jordan at last, "what we wasting all this fool time
about? You just slip back to the ranch and fire Perris."

In the favoring dark, Hervey threw back his head and made a grimace of
joy. Exactly as he had prefigured, this talk was going. Every card was
being played into his hand as though his wishes were subconsciously
entering and ruling the mind of the chief.

"I can't do it," he answered firmly.

"You can't? Ain't you foreman?"

"No," said Hervey, and a trace of bitterness came into his voice. "I
used to be. But you know as well as me that I'm only a straw boss now.
Miss Marianne is running things, big and small. Besides, she picked up
Perris. And she won't let him go easy, I tell you!"

"What do you mean by that, Hervey?"

"I seen her face when she met him. I was standing outside the
bunkhouse. And she sure was tolerable pleased to see him."

A tremendous oath burst from Jordan.

"You mean she's sweet on this--this Perris?" But he added: "Why should
that rile me? Maybe he's all right."

"He's one of them flashy dressers," said Lew Hervey. "Silk shirts and
swell bandannas and he wears shopmade boots and keep 'em all shined up.
Besides, it's dead easy for him to talk to a girl. He's the kind that
get on with 'em pretty well."

The innuendo brought a huge roar from Oliver Jordan.

"By God, Lew, d'you think that's what it means? I thought she talked
pretty strong about this Perris!"

"Maybe I've said too much," said Hervey.

"Not a word too much," said Jordan heartily, and reaching through the
night he found the hand of Hervey and wrung it heartily. "I know how
square you are, Lew. I know how you've stood by me. I'd stake my last
dollar on you!"

Hervey blessed again the mercy of the darkness which concealed the
crimson that spread hotly over his face. There was enough truth in what
the rancher said to make the untruths the more painful. Before the
accident Hervey had, indeed, been all that anyone could ask in a
manager. But when too much authority came into his hands owing to the
crippling of his chief, the temptation proved too strong for resistance.
It was all so easy. A few score of cows run off here and there were
never noted, and his share in the profit was f