sweep over her, and come back to the
meeting with hers. But he did not name them. Instead, he came to another
angle of the subject.

"You never know when you are licked, do you? Why don't you ask me to
compromise this land grant business?"

"What sort of a compromise have you to offer, sir?" she said after a
pause.

"Have your lawyers told you yet that you have no chance?"

"Would it be wise for me to admit I have none, before I go to discuss
the terms of the treaty?" she asked, and put it so innocently that he
acknowledged the hit with a grin.

"I thought that, if you knew you were going to lose, you might be easier
to deal with. I'm such a fellow to want the whole thing in my bargains."

"If that's how you feel, I don't think I'll compromise."

"Well, I didn't really expect you would. I just mentioned it."

"It was very good of you. Now I think I'll go back to my cousin."

"If you must I'm coming over to his room as soon as the doc will let me,
and as soon as he'll see me."

She gave him a sudden flash of happy eyes. "I hope you will. There must
be no more trouble between him and you. There couldn't be after this,
could there?"

He shook his head.

"Not if it takes two to make a quarrel. He can say what he wants to,
make a door-mat out of me, go gunning after me till the cows come home,
and I won't do a thing but be a delegate to a peace conference. No,
ma'am. I'm through."

"You don't know how glad I am to hear it."

"Are you as anxious I should make up my quarrel with you as the ones
with your friends?" he asked boldly.

The effrontery of this lean, stalwart young American--if effrontery it
was, and no other name seemed to define it--surprised another dash of
roses into the olive.

"The way to make up your quarrel with me is to make up those with my
friends," she answered.

"All right. Suits me. I'll call those deputies off and send them home.
Pablo and Sebastian will never go to the pen on my evidence. They're in
the clear so far as I'm concerned."

She gave him both her hands. "Thank you. Thank you. I'm _so_ glad."

The tears rose to her eyes. She bit her lip, turned and left the room.

He called after her:

"Please don't forget my tin box."

"I'll remember your precious box," she called back with a pretense of
scorn.

He laughed to himself softly. There was sunshine in his eyes.

She had resolved to leave him to Mrs. Corbett in future, but within the
hour she was back.

"I came