o faces mirrored his bewilderment, then the spokesman broke
into bitterly derisive laughter, and his followers parroted his
mirthless ridicule.

"Hit _mout_ suit me," he finally replied, "save only hit denotes thet
ye're either p'intedly wishful ter throw yore life away--or else plum
bereft of reason."

"Thet's a _secret_ meetin' over thar," interposed Lincoln Thornton,
grimly, "with rifles in ther la'rel ter take keer of trespassers. They'd
stretch ye dead afore ye got nigh enough ter shout out--much less reason
with 'em. Some things is practical an' others is jest damn foolery."

"I took thought of them chances," replied Parish, quietly, "afore I made
my proffer."

This time there was no laughter but Aaron shook his head decisively.
"No," he declared, "hit won't do. Hit's a right bold idee but hit would
be sartain death. Ye're ther man they're cussin' an' damnin' over an'
above all others, over thar--right now."

"All right then," asserted Thornton, crisply, "ef I kin stop 'em from
cussin' an' damnin' me, mebby they mout quiet down again an listen ter
reason. Anyhow, ef ye agrees ter let me bind ye by my words, I'm a-goin'
over thar."

After that the talk was such a discussion of ways and means as takes
place between allies in complete harmony of agreement.

"Afore God in Heaven," exclaimed the old clansman at its end, "ye _air_
a man thet's cut out ter lead! Hev ye got yore pistol handy?"

"Hit's handy enough," answered Parish, "but I don't aim ter go over thar
armed--ef they kills me like ye foretells they will, they've got ter
murder me coldblooded--so all men kin see wh'ar ther fault lays at."

CHAPTER XVII

Parish Thornton and Aaron Capper stood for a few moments watching the
departure of the two other horsemen, one of whom was a spy and a
traitor--for Aaron himself meant to wait here until he could ride home
with some knowledge of the outcome of his new ally's mad project.

But Parish could not wait long, for the summer afternoon was already
half spent and his depleted strength would make travelling slow.

The thought that now oppressed him with the poignancy of an immediate
ordeal was the need of saying good-bye to Dorothy, and neither of them
would fail to understand that it might be a last good-bye. There was no
room for equivocation in this crisis, and as he gazed up into the full
and peaceful shade over his head, a flood of little memories, bound
tendril-like by sounds, sights, and fra