the railroad track and entered the town. Here the young man
took a polite leave of Helen, and Pat, seeing the unfriendly horse
canter away at a brisk gait, himself set out briskly, feeling somehow
called upon to emulate the step of the other. And thus he continued
through town to the river trail, which he followed at an even brisker
stride, and thence to the ranch and the corral. Here his mistress took
leave of him--abruptly, it seemed--and made her way straight into the
house. Directly the Mexican came and removed his saddle and bridle. With
these things off, he shook himself vigorously, and then took up his
customary stand in the corner, and confidently awaited the reappearance
of his mistress with sugar and apples--a reward she never had denied
him.

But he waited this time in vain.

CHAPTER VIII

FELIPE MAKES A DISCOVERY

Pat waited in vain two whole days. Not once did she come to him, not
once did he lay eyes upon her. He became nervous and irritable, and in
this emptiness, equal to that which he had suffered during the three
years she was away, he spent every waking moment in the corral, standing
in his favorite corner, eyes strained toward the house, occasionally
interrupting the silence with a pleading nicker. But his vigil gained
him nothing, his watching remained unrewarded, his outcries went
unanswered. Finally, with the close of each day he would enter the
stable, but only to brood through half the night--wondering, wondering.
But never did he give up hope. Nor had he given up hope now, this
morning of the third day, when, standing in his corner as usual, he
heard a door close in the house.

As always, his heart leaped with expectation, and he gave off a
protracted whinny. Also he pressed close to the fence. This time he was
not disappointed. For coming slowly toward him, with her hands behind
her back, was his mistress.

"Pat," she began, standing close before him, "I have neglected you
purposely. And I did it because I have lost confidence in you." She
regarded him a long moment coldly, then was forced to smile. "I suppose
I feel toward you much as I used to feel toward a doll of mine that had
fallen and cracked its head. I want to shake you, yet I can't help but
feel sorry for you, too." And again she was silent.

Pat shifted his feet uneasily. He did not quite understand all this,
though he knew, despite the smile of his mistress, that it was serious.
Still, encouraged by the smile, he p