t Henderson out the night before
the election and leave on the late train. You'll have to arrange the
program in time for us to catch that train."

O'Halloran looked drolly at him. "I'm liking your nerve, young man.
I pull the chestnuts out of the fire for yez and, likely enough, get
burned. You walk off with your chestnut, and never a 'Thank ye' for poor
Mickey the catspaw."

"It doesn't look like quite a square deal, does it?" laughed the ranger.
"Well, we might vary the program a bit. Bucky O'Connor, Arizona ranger,
can't stop and take a hand in such a game, but I don't know anything to
prevent a young gipsy from Spain staying over a few days."

"If you stay, I shall," announced the boy Frank.

"You'll do nothing of the kind, seh. You'll do just as I say, according
to the agreement you made with me when I let you come," was Bucky's curt
answer. "We're not playing this game to please you, Master Frank."

Yet though the ranger spoke curtly, though he still tried to hold toward
his comrade precisely the same attitude as he had before discovering her
sex, he could not put into his words the same peremptory sting that, he
had done before when he found that occasionally necessary. For no matter
how severely he must seem to deal with her to avoid her own suspicions
as to what he knew, as well as to keep from arousing those of others,
his heart was telling a very different story all the time. He could see
again the dainty grace with which she had danced for him, heard again
that low voice breaking into a merry piping lilt, warmed once more to
the living, elusive smile, at once so tender and mocking. He might set
his will to preserve an even front to her gay charm, but it was beyond
him to control the thrills that shot his pulses.

CHAPTER 8. FIRST BLOOD!

Occasionally Alice Mackenzie met Collins on the streets of Tucson. Once
she saw him at the hotel where she was staying, deep in a discussion
with her father of ways and means of running down the robbers of the
Limited. He did not, however, make the least attempt to push their train
acquaintanceship beyond the give and take of casual greeting. Without
showing himself unfriendly, he gave her no opportunity to determine how
far they would go with each other. This rather piqued her, though
she would probably have rebuffed him if he had presumed far. Of which
probability Val Collins was very well aware.

They met one morning in front of a drug store downtown. She car