flowers were dimmed by a blue shadow.

"But I never saw wild flowers like those," she said to Connor.

"Nobody else ever did. But old Matthew, whoever he was, grew 'em and
kept crossing 'em until he got those big fellows with all the colors of
the rainbow."

"Hurry! We're late!"

"No, David's probably on top of that hill, now; always goes up there to
watch the sun rise and the sun set. Can you beat that?"

He chuckled, but a shade had darkened the face of the girl for a moment.
Then she lifted her head resolutely.

"I'm not going to try to understand him. The minute you understand a
thing you stop being afraid of it; and as soon as I stop being afraid of
David Eden I might begin to like him--which is what I don't want."

"What's that?" cried Connor, breaking in on her last words. When Ruth
began to think aloud he always stopped listening; it was a maxim of his
to never listen when a woman became serious.

"It's that strange giant."

"Joseph!" exclaimed Connor heavily. "Whipping did him no good. He'll
need killing one of these days."

But she had already reverted to another thing.

"Do you think he worships the sun?"

"I don't think. Try to figure out a fellow like that and you get to be
just as much of a nut as he is. Go on toward the house and I'll follow
you in a minute. I want to talk to big Joe."

He turned aside into the trees briskly, and the moment he was out of
sight of the girl he called softly: "Joseph!"

He repeated the call after a trifling wait before he saw the big man
coming unconcernedly through the trees toward him. Joseph came close
before he stopped--very close, as a man will do when he wishes to make
another aware of his size, and from this point of vantage, he looked
over Connor from head to foot with a glance of lingering and insolent
criticism. The gambler was somewhat amused and a little alarmed by that
attitude.

"Now, Joseph," he said, "tell me frankly why you're dodging me about the
valley. Waiting for a chance to throw stones?"

His smile remained without a reflection on the stolid face of the
servant.

"Benjamin," answered the deep, solemn voice, "I know all!"

It made Connor peer into those broad features as into a dim light. Then
a moment of reflection assured him that Joseph could not have learned
the secret.

"Haneemar, whom you know," continued Joseph, "has told me about you."

"And where," asked Connor, completely at sea, "did you learn of
Haneemar?"

"From