e that he had
something to do away from the ranch and that he wanted to go now that
Black Bart was well enough to travel in short spells. He asked me if I
still needed him."

"And you told him no?" she cried. "Oh Dad, you know it means everything
to me--but you told him no?" He raised a shaking hand to ward off the
outburst and stop it.

"Not at first, honey. Gimme a chance to talk, Kate. At first I told him
that I needed him--and God knows that I _do_ need him. I dunno why--not
even Doc Byrne knows what there is about Dan that helps me. I told Dan
all them things. And he didn't say nothin', but jest sat still on the
foot of the bed and looked at me.

"It ain't easy to bear his eyes, Kate. I lay here and tried at first to
smile at him and talk about other things--but it ain't easy to bear his
eyes. You take a dog, Kate. It ain't supposed to be able to look you in
the eye for long; but s'pose you met up with a dog that could. It'd make
you feel sort of queer inside. Which I felt that way while Dan was
lookin' at me. Not that he was threatenin' me. No, it wasn't that. He
was only thoughtful, but I kept gettin' more nervous and more fidgety. I
felt after a while like I couldn't stand it. I had to crawl out of bed
and begin walkin' up and down till I got quieter. But I seen that
wouldn't do.

"Then I begun to think. I thought of near everything in a little while.
I thought of what would happen s'pose Dan should stay here. Maybe you
and him would get to like each other again. Maybe you'd get married.
Then what would happen?

"I thought of the wild geese flyin' north in the spring o' the year and
the wild geese flyin' south in the fall o' the year. And I thought of
Dan with his heart followin' the wild geese--God knows why!--and I seen
a picture of him standin' and watchin' them, with you nearby and not
able to get one look out of him. I seen that, and it made my blood
chilly, like the air on a frosty night.

"Kate, they's something like the power of prophecy that comes to a dyin'
man!"

"Dad!" she cried. "What are you saying?"

She slipped to her knees beside the bed and drew his cold hands towards
her, but Joe Cumberland shook his head and mildly drew one hand away. He
raised it, with extended forefinger--a sign of infinite warning; and
with the glow of the lamp full upon his face, the eyes were pits of
shadow with stirring orbs of fire in the depths.

"No, I ain't dead now," he said, "but I ain't far away from