Brand Blotters

He nodded gravely. "Yes, in this country sheep are death to cows. I hate

to be a quitter, but I hate worse to take the bread out of the mouths of a

dozen families. Two days ago I had an offer for my whole bunch, and

to-morrow I'm going to take the first instalment over the pass and drive

them down to the railroad."

"But you'll have to cross the dead line to get over the pass," she said

quickly; for all Cattleland knew that a guard had been watching his herds

to see they did not cross the pass.

"Yes. I'm going to send Alan with a letter to Farnum. I don't think there

will be any opposition to my crossing it when my object is understood," he

smiled.

Melissy watched him ride away, strong and rugged and ungraceful, from the

head to the heel of him a man. Life had gone hard with him. She wondered

whether that were the reason her heart went out to him so warmly.

As she moved about her work that day and the next little snatches of song

broke from her, bubbling forth like laughter, born of the quiet happiness

within, for which she could give no reason.

After the stage had gone she saddled her pony and rode toward the head of

the pass. In an hour or two now the sheep would be pouring across the

divide, and she wanted to get a photograph of them as they emerged from

the pass. She was following an old cattle trail which ran into the main

path just this side of the pass, and she was close to the junction when

the sound of voices stopped her. Some instinct made her wait and listen.

The speakers were in a dip of the trail just ahead of her, and the voice

of the first she recognized as belonging to the man Boone. The tone of it

was jubilantly cruel.

"No, sir. You don't move a step of the way, not a step, Mr. Alan

McKinstra. I've got him right where I want him, and I don't care if you

talk till the cows come home."

Alan's voice rang out indignantly, "It's murder then--just plain, low-down

murder. If you hold me here and let Morse fall into a death trap without

warning him, you're as responsible as if you shot him yourself."

"All right. Suits me down to the ground. We'll let it go at that. I'm

responsible. If you want the truth flat and plain, I don't mind telling

you that I wouldn't be satisfied if I wasn't responsible. I'm evening up

some little things with Mr. Morse to-day."