t that," said Courtrey slowly, his eyes losing sight of
her as he seemed to look beyond her. "If--I--thought that--why, hell!
If that's th' truth--why, it--it's th' lever!"

And he rose abruptly, though he had just settled himself in Lola's
apartment for a pleasant chat, as was his habit whenever he rode in
from the Stronghold.

"Lola," he said presently, "I might's well tell you that I'm plannin'
to have this girl for mine,--_mine_, you understand, legally, by law.
I can't have her like I've had you. She'd blow my head off th' first
time I stopped holdin' her hands." He laughed at the picture he had
conjured, then went on.

"An' so I feel grateful to you, old girl, for that remark. It sets me
thinkin'." And he stooped and kissed her on the lips. The woman
returned the kiss, a wonderful caress, slow, soft, alluring, but the
man did not notice.

His face was flushed, his eyes studying.

Then he swung quickly out through the Golden, Cloud, and Lola slipped
limply down on a couch and covered her ashen cheeks with her hands.

"Oh, Buck!" she whispered brokenly, "Oh, Buck! Buck!"

* * * * *

Courtrey went straight home, still, cold, thinking hard. His henchmen
left him in solitude after the first word or two. They knew him well,
and that something was brewing.

At midnight that night he roused Wylackie Bob, Black Bart and the man
who was known as Arizona, and the four of them went out on the levels
for a secret talk.

The next day the master of the Stronghold rode away on Bolt. As he
left, Ellen, standing in the doorway like a pale ghost, lifted her
tragic eyes to his face with the look of a faithful dog.

"Where you goin', Buck?" she asked timidly.

"Off," said the man shortly.

"Ain't you goin'--goin' to kiss me?"

He laughed cruelly.

"Not after what I ben a-hearin', I ain't!"

She sprang forward, catching at his knee.

"What--what you ben a-hearin'? There ain't nothin' about me you could
a-heard, Buck, dear! Nothin' in this world! I ben true to you as your
shadow!"

Every soul within hearing knew the words for the utter and absolute
truth, yet Courtrey looked at Wylackie Bob, at Arizona, and laughed.

"Like hell, you have!" he said, struck the Ironwood and was gone
around the corner of the house with the sound of thunder.

Ellen wet her lips and looked around like a wounded animal.

Her brother Cleve, saddling up a little way apart, cast a long
studyin