go friend."

Valencia did not quarrel with Manuel. He merely listened and smiled
his startlingly sunny smile, and afterwards repeated Manuel's words
almost verbatim to Jack. Later, he recounted as much as he considered
politic to Don Andres himself, just to show how bitter Manuel had
become and how unjust. Valencia, it must be admitted, was not in any
sense working in the interests of peace. He looked forward with a good
deal of eagerness to that meeting of which Manuel prated. He had all
the faith of your true hero-worshiper in his new friend, and with the
story of that last eventful day which Jack had spent in San Francisco
to build his faith upon, he confidently expected to see Jose learn a
much-needed lesson in humility--aye, and Manuel also.

Since even the best-natured gossip is like a breeze to fan the flames
of dissension, Don Andres spent an anxious hour in devising a plan
that would preserve the peace he loved better even than prosperity.
While he smoked behind the passion vines on the veranda, he thought
his way slowly from frowns to a smile of satisfaction, and finally
called a peon scurrying across the patio to stand humbly before him
while he gave a calm order. His majordomo he would see, as speedily as
was convenient to a man as full of ranch business as Dade Hunter found
himself.

Dade, tired and hot from a forenoon in the saddle inspecting the
horses that were to bear the burden of rodeo work, presently
came clanking up to the porch and lifted the sombrero off his
sweat-dampened forehead thankfully, when the shade of the vines
enveloped him.

The eyes of the don dwelt pleasedly upon the tanned face of his
foreman. More and more Don Andres was coming to value the keen
common-sense which is so rare, and which distinguished Dade's
character almost as much as did the kindliness that made nearly every
man his friend.

The don had already fallen into the habit of presenting his orders
under the guise of ideas that needed the confirmation of the
majordomo, before they became definite plans; and it speaks much for
those two that neither of them suspected that it was so. Thus, Don
Andres' solution of the problem of preserving peace became the subject
for a conference that lasted more than an hour. The don was absolutely
candid; so candid that he spoke upon a delicate subject, and one that
carried a sting of which he little dreamed.

"One factor I cannot help recognizing," he said slowly. "I am not
blind