Kate sitting at her father's right hand.

Doubleday introduced him to his daughter. Van Horn nodded, without
much deference, to Belle and to Bradley, neither of whom responded more
warmly. He sat down near Kate and with a look of raillery scrutinized
the remnant of meat left on the general platter: "How is it, Barb?" he
asked.

"What?"

"The antelope."

"All right, I guess."

Van Horn with a laugh turned to Kate: "Excited over it, isn't he? I
got an antelope yesterday, so I sent half of it over to your father."
Then he lowered his voice in pretended disgust. "_He_ doesn't know
what he's eating--it might as well be salt pork. And you're a stranger
here? I never knew your father had a daughter. He's very
communicative. How do you like antelope?"

Without paying attention to anyone else, he set out for a moment to
entertain Kate. When he talked his face lighted with energy. Every
expression of his brown eyes snapped with life, and his big Roman nose,
though not making for beauty, one soon got used to.

Barb broke abruptly in on the conversation: "What did Stone find out?"
he asked.

Van Horn answered a question of Kate's and turned then, and not until
then, to her father: "That's what I came over to tell you. Dutch Henry
and another fellow--described like Stormy Gorman--sold ten head of
steers to the railroad camp last week--that's where our cattle are
going right along now. And Abe Hawk," he exclaimed, pointing his
finger at Doubleday and poking it forward to emphasize each point,
"sold ten head of your long yearlings to a contracting outfit north of
the Falling Wall and never changed the brands!"

Doubleday stared at the speaker. Van Horn, speaking to Kate, went
right on: "There's a bunch of rustlers over in the Falling Wall,
snitching steers on us right and left," he explained in a lower and
very deferential tone, but a warm one.

While Van Horn talked and Doubleday muttered husky and bitter
questions, Bradley and Belle paid continuous attention to their coffee
and griddle cakes.

Doubleday by this time had forgotten all about Kate. Completely
absorbed by the reports brought in he rose from the table and followed
Van Horn to the open door where Van Horn turned and paused as he kept
on talking so that with his eyes he could still take in Kate at the
table. The two men were now joined at the door by a third. This man
looked in to see who was at the table. Bradley glanced up at him only
lon