ate with the sheriff's household, and for Mrs. Shields he
had only love and respect.

With Helen his cup was full to overflowing, for he had managed to hold
several long talks with her during the afternoon, and to his mind he had
heard nothing detrimental to his hopes. His eyes had been opened as to
what it was he had been hungering for, and the knowledge thrilled him to
his finger-tips. He was a red-blooded, clean-limbed man, direct of words
and purpose, reveling in a joyous, surging, vigorous health, in tune with
his surroundings; he was dominant, fearless, and he had a saving grace
in his humor. To him came visions of the future, golden as the sunrise,
rich in promise and assurance as to a happiness such as he could only
feebly feel. Himself he was sure of, for he feared no failure on his part;
as far as he was concerned it was won. Helen, he believed from what the
day had given him, would not refuse him when the time came for her to
decide, and his effervescent spirits sent a song to his lips, which he
hurled to the sky as a war-cry, a slogan of triumph and a defiance.

As yet he knew nothing of the sheriff's plans, and his thoughts concerning
his future position in the community did not dare to soar above that of
foreman of some ranch. To this end he would bend his energies with all the
power of his splendid trinity--heart, mind and body. He was far too
happy to think of failure, because there would be none; had the word
passed through his mind he would have laughed it into oblivion. His
experience gave him confidence, for he was no weakling sheltered and
protected by any guiding angel; to the contrary, he was the survivor
of a bitter war against conditions which would have destroyed a less
strong man; he was victor over himself and his enemies, a conqueror
of adverse conditions, a hewer of his own path; his enemies had been
his best friends, and his long fight, his salvation. For ten years he
had constantly fought a bitter fight against nature and man; hunger and
thirst, plots and ambushes had all played their parts, and he had won
out over all of them. He was young, hopeful and unafraid, and now that he
was on the right trail he would bend every energy to stay there, and
he would stay there, be the opposition what it might; and if the
opposition should be man, and of a strength dangerous to him, he would
destroy it as he had destroyed others before it. While now scorning to
use his gun on every provocation he wou