the money'll be paid
to my wife? Will you give me your word, sir? Your word of honor?"

"My word of honor."

"Say, then come right back with me to my shanty no, best not. We'll
ride back to Orrville, and I'll hand you all I know as we go. I can
quit you before we reach the township. Then you can hustle the crowd
together and I'll be waiting ready at my shack to play my part--the
dirty rotten Judas racket."

"Judas betrayed his--Master and Friend. Are these people your friends?
Is Lightfoot your master?"

"Heavens! What d'you take me for--a rustler?"

"Then quit your crazy talk of Judas. Your duty's plumb clear. Your
duty's to hand these folks, these bandits, into our hands. The money's
a matter of--choice. I'll just hand my man a word or two, and we'll
get back Orrville way."

* * * * * *

It was past midnight when Bob took up a position squatting on the sill
of his own doorway. Standing close behind him, leaning against the
rough casing, Effie looked down upon his huddled figure. Her eyes were
alight with a power of suppressed excitement. The blood was surging
through her young veins, and every nerve was tense with the strain of
waiting, of anticipation.

But her emotions were by no means shared by her husband. For all her
beauty and woman's charm she was different, utterly different from him.
She had been brought up to the understanding that she would have to
make her own way in the world. All her parents had been able to do for
her was to see that she was as fully equipped for the adventure of life
as their limited means would permit. Those means would die when her
chief parent died, and the style in which they had lived left no margin
for saving.

So, with cool calculation, Effie had set about her life's effort. Nor
had she considered herself unsuccessful in the first spreading of her
maiden wings. A millionaire's son! It was a splendid match. It had
met with the entire approval of her family.

Then had come disillusionment. A determined opposition from Bob's
father. She had been urged to break off the engagement. She even
intended to do so. But some how she had miscalculated the nature which
her education had been powerless to eradicate. She realized at last
when the demands of her campaign made themselves heard, that there was
something she had hitherto completely ignored. There was the woman's
heart of her. She had most absurdly fallen in lov