the boys away. You see, this isn't Reno."

Then he laughed rather boyishly, and from that, and the way he
slouched on his sombrero, Madeline realized he was half drunk. As
she instinctively recoiled she not only gave him a keener glance, but
stepped into a position where a better light shone on his face. It
was like red bronze, bold, raw, sharp. He laughed again, as if
good-naturedly amused with himself, and the laugh scarcely changed the
hard set of his features. Like that of all women whose beauty and charm
had brought them much before the world, Miss Hammond's intuition had
been developed until she had a delicate and exquisitely sensitive
perception of the nature of men and of her effect upon them. This crude
cowboy, under the influence of drink, had affronted her; nevertheless,
whatever was in his mind, he meant no insult.

"I shall be greatly obliged if you will show me to the hotel," she said.

"Lady, you wait here," he replied, slowly, as if his thought did not
come swiftly. "I'll go fetch the porter."

She thanked him, and as he went out, closing the door, she sat down in
considerable relief. It occurred to her that she should have mentioned
her brother's name. Then she fell to wondering what living with such
uncouth cowboys had done to Alfred. He had been wild enough in college,
and she doubted that any cowboy could have taught him much. She alone of
her family had ever believed in any latent good in Alfred Hammond, and
her faith had scarcely survived the two years of silence.

Waiting there, she again found herself listening to the moan of the wind
through the wires. The horse outside began to pound with heavy hoofs,
and once he whinnied. Then Madeline heard a rapid pattering, low
at first and growing louder, which presently she recognized as the
galloping of horses. She went to the window, thinking, hoping her
brother had arrived. But as the clatter increased to a roar, shadows
sped by--lean horses, flying manes and tails, sombreroed riders, all
strange and wild in her sight. Recalling what the conductor had said,
she was at some pains to quell her uneasiness. Dust-clouds shrouded the
dim lights in the windows. Then out of the gloom two figures appeared,
one tall, the other slight. The cowboy was returning with a porter.

Heavy footsteps sounded without, and lighter ones dragging along, and
then suddenly the door rasped open, jarring the whole room. The cowboy
entered, pulling a disheveled figure--that