old Kate from the cultivator, it was finished. The lad went down
the hill, his bright castles in ruin--even as we all have gone, or
must sometime go down the hill with our brightest castles in ruin.

CHAPTER XXXII.

PREPARATION.

That same night, Mr. Lane told his daughter that he would leave
home early the next morning to be gone two days. Jim was cleaning
his big forty-five when he made the announcement.

Sammy paused with one hand on the cupboard door to ask, "With Wash
Gibbs, Daddy?"

"No, I ain't goin' with Wash; but I'll likely meet up with him
before I get back." There was a hint of that metallic ring in the
man's voice.

The girl placed her armful of dishes carefully on the cupboard
shelf; "You're--you're not going to forget your promise, are you,
Daddy Jim?"

The mountaineer was carefully dropping a bit of oil into the lock
of his big revolver. "No, girl, I ain't forgettin' nothin'. This
here's the last ride I aim to take with Wash. I'm goin' to see him
to,"--he paused and listened carefully to the click, click, click,
as he tested the action of his weapon--"to keep my promise."

"Oh, Daddy, Daddy, I'm so glad! I wanted this more than I ever
wanted anything in all my life before. You're such a good Daddy to
me, I never could bear to see you with that bad, bad man." She was
behind his chair now, and, stooping, laid her fresh young cheek
against the swarthy, furrowed face.

The man sat like a grim, stone image, his eyes fixed on the gun
resting on his knees. Not until she lifted her head to stand erect
behind his chair, with a hand on each shoulder, did he find words.
"Girl, there's just one thing I've got to know for sure before I
go to-morrow. I reckon I'm right, but somehow a man can't never
tell about a woman in such things. Will you tell your Daddy,
Sammy?"

"Tell what, Daddy Jim?" the girl asked, her hands stealing up to
caress her father's face.

"What answer will you give to Young Matt when he asks you what
Ollie did?"

"But why must you know that before you go to-morrow?"

"'Cause I want to be plumb sure I ain't makin' no mistake in
sidin' with the boy in this here trouble."

"You couldn't make a mistake in doing that, Daddy, no matter
whether I--no matter what--but perhaps Matt will not ask me what
Ollie did."

Just a ray of humor touched the dark face. "I ain't makin' no
mistake there. I know what the man will do." He laid the gun upon
the table, and reaching up caugh