t he was to take care of Miss Allen. He must be somewhere around
here."

"Well, he ain't. I was looking fer him myself," put in the Countess
sharply. "Somebody shut the cat up in the flour chest and I didn't study
much on what it was done it! If I'd a got my hands on 'im--"

"I saw him ride up on the hill trail just before the fire started,"
volunteered Rosemary Allen. "I had my opera glasses and was looking for
him, because I like to meet him and hear him talk. He said yesterday
that he was coming to see me today. And he rode up on the hill in sight
of my claim. I saw him." She stopped and looked from one to the other
with her eyebrows pinched together and her lips pursed.

"Listen," she went on hastily. "Maybe it has nothing to do with
Buck--but I saw something else that was very puzzling. I was going to
investigate, but the fire broke out immediately and put everything else
out of my mind. A man was up on that sharp-pointed knoll off east of
the trail where it leaves this coulee, and he had field glasses and
was looking for something over this way. I thought he was watching the
trail. I just caught him with the glasses by accident as I swung them
over the edge of the benchland to get the trail focused. He was watching
something--because I kept turning the glasses on him to see what he was
doing.

"Then Buck came into sight, and I started to ride out and meet him. I
hate to leave the little mite riding alone anywhere--I'm always afraid
something may happen. But before I got on my horse I took another look
at this man on the hill. He had a mirror or something bright in his
hands. I saw it flash, just exactly as though he was signaling to
someone--over that way." She pointed to the west. "He kept looking that
way, and then back this way; and he covered up the piece of mirror with
his hand and then took it off and let it shine a minute, and put it in
his pocket. I know he was making signals.

"I got my horse and started to meet little Buck. He was coming along
the trail and rode into a little hollow out of sight. I kept looking and
looking toward Dry Lake--because the man looked that way, I guess. And
in a few minutes I saw the smoke of the fire--"

"Who was that man?" Andy took a step toward her, his eyes hard and
bright in their inflamed lids.

"The man? That Mr. Owens who jumped your south eighty."

"Good Lord, what fools!" He brushed past her without a look or another
word, so intent was he upon this fresh d