took his seat. "I enjoy the _privilege_ of these Government grazing
grounds, and I ought to be perfectly willing to pay the fee. These forests
are the property of the whole nation; they are public lands, and should
yield a revenue to the whole nation. It is silly to expect the Government
to go on enriching a few of us stockmen at the expense of others. I see
this, and I accept the change."

"After you've got rich at it," said Gregg.

"Well, haven't you?" retorted Redfield. "Are you so greedy that nothing
will stop you?"

Lize threw in a wise word. "The sporting-houses of Kansas City and Chicago
keep old Sam poor."

A roar of laughter followed this remark, and Gregg was stumped for a
moment; but the son grinned appreciatively. "Now be good!"

Cavanagh turned to Virginia in haste to shield her from all that lay
behind and beneath this sally of the older and deeply experienced woman.
"The Supervisor is willing to yield a point--he knows what the New West
will bring."

Gregg growled out: "I'm not letting any of my rights slip."

The girl was troubled by the war-light which she saw in the faces of the
men about her, and vague memories of the words and stories she had
overchanced to hear in her childhood came back to her mind--hints of the
drunken orgies of the cowboys who went to the city with cattle, and the
terrifying suggestion of their attitude toward all womankind. She set
Cavanagh and his chief quite apart from all the others in the room, and at
first felt that in young Gregg was another man of education and right
living--but in this she was misled.

Lize had confidence enough in the ranger to throw in another malicious
word. "Ross, old Bullfrog came down here to chase you up a tree--so he
said. Did he do it?"

Gregg looked ugly. "I'm not done with this business."

She turned to Ross. "Don't let him scare you--his beller is a whole lot
worse than his bite."

This provoked another laugh, and Gregg was furious--all the more so that
his son joined in. "I'll have your head, Mr. Supervisor; I'll carry my
fight to the Secretary."

"Very well," returned Redfield, "carry it to the President if you wish. I
simply repeat that your sheep must correspond to your permit, and if you
don't send up and remove the extra number I will do it myself. I don't
make the rules of the department. My job is to carry them out."

By this time every person in the room was tense with interest. They all
knew Gregg and his imperious