ue world of
below, never to return!

She swayed drunkenly on her feet for a time that seemed ages long.
Then life came back in her with a rush. She broke the nightmare dream
and gasped out a broken command to her faithful ones.

"Billy!" she said thickly, "Oh, Billy! If you love me, run! Run an'
build a fire--one fire!--only _one_ fire, Billy, dear--out by th'
cottonwoods to th' left--of th' Holdin'!"

Then she went and sat limply down on the step at the western door,
leaned her head against the deep adobe wall, and fell to weeping as if
the very heart in her would wash itself away in tears.

And Billy, numb with anguish but true to the love he bore her, went
swiftly out and set that beacon glowing. Its red light flaring against
the blue darkness of the falling night seemed like a bodeful omen of
sorrow and disaster, of death and failure and despair.

Tharon on the sill roused herself to watch it leap and glow, then
turned her deep eyes to where she knew the Stronghold lay.

Presently out upon the distant black curtain of the night there flared
that other fire, signal of life to Kenset somewhere in the Canon
Country--and then her lips drew into a thin hard line and she
straightened her young form stiffly up, put a hand hard upon her
breast.

"A little time, Courtrey!" she whispered to herself, "Jus' a little
time an' luck, an' I'll give you th' double-cross or die, damn your
soul to hell!"

Billy, coming softly in along the adobe wall, caught the whisper,
felt rather than heard its meaning, and turned back with the step of a
cat.

* * * * *

An hour later, when all the Holding was quiet for the night, drifting
to early rest after the day's hard work, the Mistress of Last's,
booted, dressed in riding clothes, her fair head covered by a
sombrero, her daddy's guns at her hips, crept softly to the gate of El
Rey's own corral. She went like a thief, crouching, watching, without
a sound, and saddled the big stallion in careful softness. She led him
gently out and around toward the cottonwoods, away from the house.
When she was well away she put foot to stirrup and went up as the king
leaped for his accustomed flight.

But Tharon pulled him down. She wanted no thunder on the sounding-board
tonight. But soft as she had been, as careful, there was one at the
Holding who followed her every act, who went for a horse, too, who
saddled Drumfire in silence and who crept down th