ld depend upon it as on a court
of last resort--and its decision would be final.

He held ill wishes against no man save one, and that one was the man who
had placed the rope about the neck of his father. He did not know that
man's name, and he did not know that he might not be among those who had
already paid for that crime. But should he ever learn that he lived he
would take payment in full be the cost what it might.

But he had no thoughts for strife, he only knew that the sun had never
been so bright, the sky so blue and the plain so full of life and beauty
as it was on this perfect day. Only one other day rivaled it--the day he
had swayed weakly by the side of a dusty coach and had felt warm, soft
fingers touching his forehead. But, he told himself with joy, there would
be days to come which would eclipse even that.

He was aroused from his reverie by the approach of the foreman, who gave
him a hearty hail and smiled at the happy expression on the puncher's face.

"Well, you look like you had struck it rich!" cried Blake. "What is it,
gold or silver?"

"Gold or silver!" cried The Orphan in contempt at such cheapness. "By God,
Blake, I wouldn't sell my claim for all the gold and silver in this fool
earth! Gold or silver! Why, man, I know where there is plenty of both.
Here," he cried, plunging his hand into his chaps pocket, "look at this!"

The foreman looked and whistled and took the object into his hand, where
he examined it critically. "By George, it's the yellow metal, all right,
and blamed near pure!" He returned it to its owner and added: "That's the
real stuff, Orphan."

"Yes, it is," replied the other as he pocketed the nugget. "And I know
where it came from. There's plenty left that's just like it, but I
wouldn't go after it if it was diamonds."

"You wouldn't!" exclaimed Blake in surprise. "By George, I'd go to-morrow,
to-night, if I knew. Gold like that ain't to be sneered at. It spells
ranches, ease, plenty, anything you want. And you wouldn't go for it?"

"No, I wouldn't, and I won't," replied the puncher. "I'm going to stay
right here on this range and make good with my hands and brains. I'm
going to win the game with the cards I hold, and when I say win I mean it.
There are times when gold is a dangerous thing to have, and this is one
of them, as you'll understand when I disclose my hand. When I win I won't
need gold bad enough to go through hell and hot water for it and risk not
getting ba