ecently, when he had taken to
drink and developed a mean streak. Always he had been fearless, but that
elicited no comment in a land where cowards are few. His most recent
friendships had all been among the Carrs, and no insult to his own
people had been uttered in his hearing which he had not capped with one
more scathing.

Just where his grievance lay had been his own secret. For Saul's
purpose, it sufficed that it existed and was dominant.

"Son," questioned Tom Carr in his suave voice, "I see plenty of reasons
why a feller should disgust Boone Wellver, but he's yore kin. Why does
ye hate him so?"

The answer came, prefaced with a string of oaths:

"I hain't nuver named this hyar ter nairy man afore now, but I aimed ter
wed an', ter git me money enough, I sot me up a small still-house nigh
ter whar he dwells at."

Spurts of hatred shot out of the speaker's dark eyes; eyes which in
kindlier moods were lighted by intelligence.

"Ef I'd been left alone I could of got me enough money ter do what I
wanted ter do ... ther gal was ready ter hev me. But, damn his
law-an'-order, hypocritical piety! he hed ter nose out my still an' warn
me thet without I quit he'd tip me off ter ther revenuer."

"Some folks," put in Tom, "moutn't even hev warned ye."

"Thet's jest ther p'int," panted the boy. "He told ther revenuer
fust-off an' then warned me atterwards. Ef hit hedn't of been fer a
right gay piece of luck, ther raiders would of come afore I got ther
still hid away--an' I'd be sulterin' in jail right now. I've done swore
ter kill him."

"An' ther gal, son," prompted Tom gently.

The black face went even blacker.

"I reckon," he said savagely, "she don't aim ter wait fer me no longer.
I owes thet ter Boone Wellver, too."

"An' so ye're willin'--?"

"Plumb willin' an' anxious! I've done held my counsel. He don't
suspicion how I feels.... I knows every path an' by-way over thar. I
knows every step he takes when he's at home. Thar hain't no fashion I
could fail."

"An' ye knows, too, how ter keep yore mouth shut?"

"I hain't nuver told nuthin' yit."

The two conspirators looked at each other and nodded. Here was an agent
who could move without suspicion and act out of his own ardour of
hatred. Decidedly he was a discovery.

So the hireling was instructed and given a leave of absence to go and
"set up with ther gal in Leslie County." But he did not go to Leslie
County. He went, instead, by a roundabout road to