ys hoping to discover him in the new
country--gliding behind herds of cattle, listening to scraps of talks
among the cattlemen, earning from Mizzoo the uneasy designation, "the
ghost."

Thanks to the reading aloud of Lahoma's letter, he had learned of
Gledware's presence in the city which he had known years before as
Westport Landing. He went thither unbewildered by its marvelous
changes, undistracted by its tumultuous flood of life--for his mind was
full of his mission; he could see only the blood following the blade of
his knife, heard nothing but a groan, a death-rattle.

Gledware's presence in the boat this morning had been made possible
only by the interposition of Lahoma; but for the Indian's deep-seated
affection for her whom he regarded as a child, the man now smiling into
Annabel's pale face would long ago have found his final resting-place.
It was due to the Indian's singleness of thought that Lahoma's plan had
struck him as good. Gledware, stripped of all his possessions,
slinking as a beggar from door to door, no roof, no bed, but sky and
earth--that is what Red Feather had meant.

He had believed Gledware glad of the respite. That he should accept
the alternative seemed reasonable. There was a choice only between
death and poverty--and Gledware wished to live so desperately--so
basely! The chief cared little for life; still, he would
unhesitatingly have preferred the most meager existence to a knife in
his heart; how much more, then, this craven white man. But the plan
had failed because Gledware did not believe death was the other
alternative. Never in the remotest way had it occurred to the avenger
that Gledware could be spared should he prove false to his oath. Red
Feather was less a man with passions than a cold relentless fate. This
fate would surely overcome the helpless wretch, should he cling to his
riches.

As Red Feather skimmed the water with long sweeps of his oars, never
looking back, the voices of his passengers came to his ears without
meaning. He was thinking of the last few days and how this morning's
ride was their fitting sequel. The early sunbeams were full on him as
he tilted back his head, but they showed no emotion on his face,
hard-set and dully red in the clear radiance.

Crouching near the summer-house at Gledware's place, he had overheard
Red Kimball boast to bring Gledware the pearl and onyx pin. Then had
shot through his darkened mind the suspicion that Gledwar