er," he exclaimed
scornfully.

"They're your own battles," declared Kate. "You know that as well as I
do."

"All the same, your father gets the benefit of them," he continued
hotly.

"I wish to heaven he had kept out of them."

Van Horn eyed her sharply. His face reflected his sarcasm. "Of
course, you needn't worry," he grinned, with implication. "They
wouldn't steal your horse even if you do always leave it in Kitchen's
barn; the Falling Wall bunch think too much of you for that."

Surprised as she was at this outbreak, Kate kept her head. "There are
some of the rustlers I'd trust as far as I would some of the raiders,"
she rejoined coolly.

"Why don't you say Jim Laramie," he exclaimed harshly.

"Jim Laramie," she returned defiantly, "is not the only one."

"He'll be the 'only one' after our next clean-up in the Falling Wall.
And he won't be 'one' if he doesn't change his tune."

Kate's eyes were snapping fire. "Take care that next time the Falling
Wall doesn't clean you up," she said bitingly.

He snorted. "I mean it," she exclaimed. "Next time you'll need to
look out for yourself."

He bolted from his chair. "That's the first time I ever heard anybody
on this ranch take sides with the men that's robbing it--or carry a
threat to this ranchhouse for rustlers."

"Call it whatever you please, you won't change my opinion of you. But,
of course, I'm only a woman and don't know anything."

"I'm thinking you know a whole lot more than you let on," he declared.

"Anyway, I wish you'd leave this ranch out of the rest of it. If you
keep on 'cleaning up,' as you call it, you'll go farther and fare
worse."

He brought down his fist. "Not until I've cleaned out two more pups,
anyway! Now, look here, Kate," he went on, "you may be fooling about
this marrying, but you can bet I'm not."

"Well, you can bet _I'm_ not," she returned, echoing his pert slang
sharply.

"Who's the man?" He flung the question at her point-blank.

If she flushed the least bit it was with anger at his rudeness. "There
isn't any man, and there isn't going to be any--so please never talk
again about my marrying you or anybody else."

She rose and left the table. He jumped to intercept her and tried to
catch her hands. She let him see she was not in the least afraid and
as he confronted her, she faced him without a tremor. "Let me pass!"
She fairly snapped out the words.

Van Horn, without moving, broke into a boiste