tood and its
danger to those closest to her. In the morning her one prayer to
McCloud had been to have a care of himself, and to Marion to have a
care of herself; but even when Dicksie left them it seemed as if
neither quite felt the peril as she felt it.

In the afternoon the rain, falling steadily, kept her in the house,
and she sat in her room sewing until the light failed. She went
downstairs. Puss had lighted the grate in the living-room, and Dicksie
threw herself into a chair. The sound of hoofs aroused her and she
went to a window. To her horror, she saw Sinclair walking with her
cousin up to the front door. She ran into the dining-room, and the two
men entered the hall and walked into the office. Choking with
excitement, Dicksie ran through the kitchen and upstairs to master her
agitation.

In the office Sinclair was sitting down before the hot stove with
a tumbler of whiskey. "Lance"--he shook his head as he spoke
hoarsely--"I want to say my friends have stood by me to a man, but
there's none of them treated me squarer through thick and thin than
you have. Well, I've had some bad luck. It can't be helped.
Regards!"

He drank, and shook his wet hair again. Four days of hard riding had
left no trace on his iron features. Wet to the bone, his eyes flashed
with fire. He held the glassful of whiskey in a hand as steady as a
spirit-level and tossed it down a throat as cool as dew.

"I want to say another thing, Lance: I had no more intention than a
child of hurting Ed Banks. I warned Ed months ago to keep out of this
fight; and I never knew he was in it till it was too late. But I'm
hoping he will pull through yet, if they don't kill him in the
hospital to spite me. I never recognized the men at all till it was
too late. Why, one of them used to work for me! A man with the whole
railroad gang in these mountains after him has got to look out for
himself or his life ain't worth a glass of beer. Thank you, Lance, not
any more. I saw two men, with their rifles in their hands, looking for
me. I hollered at them; but, Lance, I'm rough and ready, as all my
friends know, and I will let no man put a drop on me--that I will
never do. Ed, before I ever recognized him, raised his rifle; that's
the only reason I fired. Not so full, Lance, not so full, if you
please. Well," he shook his black hair as he threw back his head,
"here's to better luck in worse countries!" He paused as he
swallowed, and set the tumbler down. "Lanc