e rode up and
greeted him.

"Won't you come in?" she asked.

"I guess not. I'd like to see your father."

She knew that her father had forbidden Corliss the house, and, indeed,
the premises. She wondered what urgency brought him to the rancho.
"I'll call him, then."

Corliss answered the grave questioning in her eyes briefly. "The
sheep," he said.

"Oh!" She turned and stepped to the veranda. "Dad, John is here."

David Loring came to the doorway and stood blinking at Corliss. He did
not speak.

"Mr. Loring, one of my men set Chance on a band of your sheep. My
foreman tells me that Chance killed a lamb. I want to pay for it."

Loring had expected something of the kind. "Mighty proud of it, I
reckon?"

"No, I'm not proud of it. I apologize--for the Concho."

"You say it easy."

"No, it isn't easy to say--to you. I'll pay the damage. How much?"

"Your dog, eh? Well, if you'll shoot the dam' dog the lamb won't cost
you a cent."

"No, I won't shoot the dog. He was put up to it. I fired the man that
set him on to the sheep."

"That's your business. But that don't square you with me."

"I'll settle, if you'll fix the price," said Corliss.

"You will, eh? Then, mebby you'd think you was square with ole man
Loring and come foolin' around here like that tramp brother of yours.
Fine doin's in Antelope, from what I hear."

"Dad!" exclaimed the girl, stepping to her father. "Dad!"

"You go in the house, Nellie! We'll settle this."

Corliss dismounted and strode up to Loring. "If you weren't an old man
I'd give you the licking of your life! I've offered to settle with you
and I've apologized. You don't belong in a white man's country."

"I got a pup that barks jest like that--and he's afraid of his own
bark," said Loring.

"Have it your way. I'm through." And Corliss stepped to his horse.

"Well, I ain't!" cried Loring. "I'm jest startin' in! You better
crawl your cayuse and eat the wind for home, Mr. Concho Jack! And
lemme tell you this: they's twenty thousand head of my sheep goin' to
cross the Concho, and the first puncher that runs any of my sheep is
goin' to finish in smoke!"

"All right, Loring. Glad you put me on to your scheme. I don't want
trouble with you, but if you're set on having trouble, you can find it."

The old man straightened and shook his fist at the rancher. "Fust time
you ever talked like a man in your life. Nex' thing is to see if you
got sand eno