interest; and earlier in the summer he had a decided uneasiness lest
Bryant prove to be the man. The scoundrelly engineer, however, had
fallen head over heels in love with Ruth Gardner, so that Charlie's
mind was relieved on that point. To his knowledge, Louise and Bryant
had never met--which was as it should be.

Charlie, having stopped about ten o'clock in the morning at the Graham
ranch for a chat with Louise while on his way to Kennard, was
considerably surprised and exceedingly nettled at beholding the
engineer, with Dave behind him on the horse, presently riding up the
lane between the rows of cottonwoods. Young Menocal had persuaded
Louise to leave her household duties for the moment to sit on the
veranda and talk with him. But now had come this impudent upstart!
Charlie's warning of someone at hand was when Louise ceased to speak
and gazed intently along the lane. His annoyance at the interruption
changed to a quick jealousy as his companion rose, descended the
steps, bade the engineer welcome, and extended her hand in greeting.

Bryant explained that he was dropping Dave here to take the stage for
Kennard when it came along after dinner. He himself was riding on.

"He'll eat dinner with us, of course, and I'll put him aboard the
stage myself," she exclaimed, with a pat on the shoulder of the boy
who had now dismounted. "Won't you stop for a moment, Mr. Bryant?
I'll give you a glass of fresh buttermilk to speed you on your way; a
stirrup cup, we'll call it. The woman has just finished churning."

Lee declared that he would drink a glass with very great pleasure. He
was thirsty, he said, and in addition was fond of buttermilk.

Menocal listened and watched him dismount and ground his teeth. Louise
knew the thief, after all. Where the devil had they become acquainted?
It was but one more instance of the engineer's pushing in where he
wasn't wanted. And she had not invited him, Charlie, to partake of
buttermilk, though, to be sure, she knew he did not like it. He felt
slighted.

When Bryant and Louise ascended the veranda, Dave loitering below, the
engineer said nonchalantly, "Hello, Charlie, how are tricks? Anything
new up your sleeve?"--in a way that set the other's blood boiling; and
when he carelessly added, "What about that story the stage-driver's
telling of you and a senorita going into a ditch with your car at
Rosita the other night?" he was quite ready to murder both Bryant and
the stage-driver.