ed back upon himself.
With the vision of an inherent coward he saw all chances against him;
but with the desperation of a maddened soul, he threw himself upon the
defensive.

Red Feather had not expected to see him offer resistance. This show of
clenched teeth and doubled fists suddenly enraged him, and the old lust
of vengeance flamed from his eyes. Hat and disguising coat were cast
aside. For a moment his form, rigid and erect, gleamed like a statue
of copper cut in stern relentless lines, and the single crimson feather
in his raven locks matched, in gold, the silver brightness of his
upraised blade.

The next moment his form shot forward, his arm gripped Gledware about
the neck, despite furious resistance, and both men fell into the water.

The violent shock given to the boat sent Annabel to her knees.
Clutching the side she gazed with horrified eyes at the water in her
wake. The men had disappeared, but in the glowing white path cut
across the lake by the sun, appeared a dull red streak that thinned
away to faint purple and dim pink. She watched the sinister
discoloration with fascinated eyes. What was taking place beneath the
smooth tide? Or was it all over? Had Red Feather found a rock to
which he could cling while he drowned himself with his victim? Or had
their bodies been caught in the tangled branches of a submerged forest
tree? It was one of the mysteries of the Ozarks never to be solved.

She was still kneeling, still staring with frightened eyes, still
wondering, when Edgerton Compton rowed up beside her.

"He said he had nothing," she stammered, as he helped her to rise. "He
said he had nothing.... How true it is!" Edgerton gently lifted her
to his skiff, then stepped in beside her. He, too, was watching the
water for the possible emergence of a ghastly face.

Annabel began trembling as with the ague. "Edgerton!... He said it
was all a lie--about his property--and so it was. Everything is a lie
except--this..."

She clung to him.

CHAPTER XXVI

JUST A HABIT

When Bill Atkins with an air of impenetrable mystery invited Wilfred
Compton to a ride that might keep him from his bride several days, the
young man guessed that Willock had been found. Lahoma, divining as
much, urged Wilfred to hasten, assured him that she enjoyed the
publicity and stirring life of the Mangum hotel and expressed
confidence that should she need a friend, Mizzoo would help her through
any difficulty.