olly loves you, and she is
breaking her heart because of your wretched pride. If you don't go
straight to her and beg her pardon for your want of faith in her, you're
not half the man I think you are, Jack Goodheart."

A warm glow of hope flushed through his blood.

"How do you know she loves me?"

"Because--because--" Lee stopped. She did not intend to betray any
confidences. "I know it. That's enough."

He threw away impulsively the prudent pride that he had been nourishing.
"Where can I find Polly?"

"You're being invited to supper at my aunt's this evening. I'll not be
home for half an hour, but if you go right up, maybe you can find some
one to entertain you."

He buried her little hand in his big paw and strode away. She watched
him, a soft tenderness shining in her eyes. Lee was a lover herself, and
she wanted everybody in the world to be as happy as she was.

Two horsemen rode down the street toward her. She looked up. One of them
was Billie Prince, the other Jim Clanton.

The younger man gave a shout of gay greeting. "Yip-ee yippy yip." He
leaned from the cowpony and gave her his gloved hand. "I've brought him
back to you. He sure did make a good clean-up. I'm the only bad man left
in Washington County."

She met his impudent little smile with friendly eyes. "Dad Wrayburn's
back from Santa Fe with the pardon, Jim. I'm so glad."

"I'm some glad myself. Do you want me to shut my eyes whilst you an'
Billie--"

The sheriff knocked the rest of the sentence out of him with a vigorous
thump on the back.

While Lee and her lover shook hands their eyes held fast to each other.

"Good to see you, Billie," she said.

"Same here, Lee."

"When you and Jim have put up your horses I want you to come up to aunt's
for supper."

"We'll be there."

It was not a very gay little supper. Pauline and Jack Goodheart had very
little to say for themselves, but in their eyes were bright pools of
happiness. Clanton sustained the burden of the talk, assisted in a
desultory fashion by Lee and Billie. But there was so much quiet joy at
the table that for years the hour was one fenced off from all the others
of their lives. Even Jim, who for the first time felt himself almost an
outsider, since he did not belong to the close communion of lovers, could
find plenty for which to be thankful.

He made an announcement before he left. "There's no room here for me now
that you lads are marryin' all my girls. I'm goin' to hit