in your country."

This expansiveness was so unusual in the man of the plains that Nevil
understood at once he had come purposely to speak of Rosebud. He wondered
why. This was the first he had heard of Rosebud's good fortune, and he
wished to know more. The matter had been kept from everybody. Even Wanaha
had been kept in ignorance of it.

Seth seated himself on a fallen tree-trunk, and now looked squarely into
the wood-cutter's thin, mean face.

"Y' see it's kind o' curious. I got that gal from the Injuns more'n six
years back, as you'll likely remember. Her folks, her father an' her ma,
was killed south o' the Reservations. Guess they were kind o' big folk in
your country. An' ther' was a feller come along awhiles back all the way
from England to find her. He was a swell law feller; he'd hit her trail,
an' when he comes along he said as she owned 'states in your country, a
whole heap. Guess she's to be treated like a queen. Dollars? Gee! She ken
buy most everything. I 'lows they ken do it slick in your country."

Seth paused to light his pipe. His manner was exquisitely simple. The
narration of the story of the girl's good fortune appeared to give him the
keenest pleasure. Nevil removed his pipe from his lips and sat chewing the
end of his ragged moustache. There was an ugly look in his eyes as he
contemplated the ashes of his fire. He might have been staring at the
ashes of his own fortunes. However, he contrived a faint smile when he
spoke.

"Then I s'pose you've found out her real name?"

"Sure. Marjorie Raynor. Her father was Colonel Landor Raynor."

"Ah."

"An' ther' ain't no question o' the dollars. She hain't no near folk 'cep'
an uncle, Stephen Raynor, an' he don't figger anyways, 'cause the dollars
are left to her by will. He only comes in, the lawyer feller says, if the
gal was to die, or--or get killed."

Seth had become quite reflective; he seemed to find a curious pleasure in
thus discussing the girl he loved with a man he at no time had any use
for.

Nevil stared uneasily. A quick, furtive glance at Seth, who at that moment
seemed to be watching his horse, gave an inkling of his passing thought.
If a look could kill Seth would certainly have been a dead man.

"So the whole thing's a dead cinch for her?"

"Yup. Now."

Nevil gave a short laugh.

"You mean--that matter with Little Black Fox. But she brought it on
herself. She encouraged him."

Seth was round on him in a twinkling.

"Ma