had always been soft and friendly, and whose manner had no hint of
brusqueness. There was a light, too, in Lone's eyes that had not been
there before. But Hawkins would not question him further. If Lone
Morgan or any other man wanted to quit, that was his
privilege,--providing, of course, that his leaving was not likely to
menace the peace and security of the Sawtooth. Lone had made it a
point to mind his own business, always. He had never asked questions,
he had never surmised or gossiped. So Hawkins gave him a check for his
wages and let him go with no more than a foreman's natural reluctance
to lose a trustworthy man.

By hard riding along short cuts, Lone reached the Quirt ranch and
dropped reins at the doorstep, not much past mid-afternoon.

"I rode over to see if there's anything I can do," he said, when
Lorraine opened the door to him. He did not like to ask about her
father, fearing that the news would be bad.

"Why, thank you for coming." Lorraine stepped back, tacitly inviting
him to enter. "Dad knows us to-day, but of course he's terribly hurt
and can't talk much. We do need some one to go to town for things.
Frank helps me with dad, and Jim and Sorry are trying to keep things
going on the ranch. And Swan does what he can, of course, but----"

"I just thought you maybe needed somebody right bad," said Lone
quietly, meaning a great deal more than Lorraine dreamed that he meant.
"I'm not doing anything at all, right now, so I can just as well help
out as not. I can go to town right away, if I can borrow a horse.
John Doe, he's pretty tired. I been pushing him right through--not
knowing there was a town trip ahead of him."

Lorraine found her eyes going misty. He was so quiet, and so
reassuring in his quiet. Half her burden seemed to slip from her
shoulders while she looked at him. She turned away, groping for the
door latch.

"You may see dad, if you like, while I get the list of things the
doctor ordered. He left only a little while ago, and I was waiting for
one of the boys to come back so I could send him to town."

It was on Lone's tongue to ask why the doctor had not taken in the
order himself and instructed some one to bring out the things; but he
remembered how very busy with its own affairs was Echo and decided that
the doctor was wise.

He tiptoed in to the bed and saw a sallow face covered with stubbly
gray whiskers and framed with white bandages. Brit opened his eyes and