of a priest, a padre, whose
mantle had manifestly been disarranged by the rude grasp of his captor.
Plain it was that the padre was extremely terrified.

Madeline Hammond gazed in bewilderment at the little man, so pale and
shaken, and a protest trembled upon her lips; but it was never uttered,
for this half-drunken cowboy now appeared to be a cool, grim-smiling
devil; and stretching out a long arm, he grasped her and swung her back
to the bench.

"You stay there!" he ordered.

His voice, though neither brutal nor harsh nor cruel, had the
unaccountable effect of making her feel powerless to move. No man had
ever before addressed her in such a tone. It was the woman in her that
obeyed--not the personality of proud Madeline Hammond.

The padre lifted his clasped hands as if supplicating for his life, and
began to speak hurriedly in Spanish. Madeline did not understand the
language. The cowboy pulled out a huge gun and brandished it in the
priest's face. Then he lowered it, apparently to point it at the
priest's feet. There was a red flash, and then a thundering report that
stunned Madeline. The room filled with smoke and the smell of powder.
Madeline did not faint or even shut her eyes, but she felt as if she
were fast in a cold vise. When she could see distinctly through the
smoke she experienced a sensation of immeasurable relief that the
cowboy had not shot the padre. But he was still waving the gun, and now
appeared to be dragging his victim toward her. What possibly could be
the drunken fool's intention? This must be, this surely was a cowboy
trick. She had a vague, swiftly flashing recollection of Alfred's first
letters descriptive of the extravagant fun of cowboys. Then she vividly
remembered a moving picture she had seen--cowboys playing a monstrous
joke on a lone school-teacher. Madeline no sooner thought of it than
she made certain her brother was introducing her to a little wild West
amusement. She could scarcely believe it, yet it must be true. Alfred's
old love of teasing her might have extended even to this outrage.
Probably he stood just outside the door or window laughing at her
embarrassment.

Anger checked her panic. She straightened up with what composure this
surprise had left her and started for the door. But the cowboy barred
her passage--grasped her arms. Then Madeline divined that her brother
could not have any knowledge of this indignity. It was no trick. It was
something that was happening,