g enough to recognize Tom Stone, the new foreman; no greeting
passed. Kate looked longer, though when she saw the eyes of the
new-comer were on her she gave her attention to Belle.

Belle had told her that a woman at the ranch would be a great curiosity
and Kate every day resigned herself to inspection. When she got better
acquainted with the men, and while there were good and bad among them,
she liked them all, except Stone. His face did not seem kindly. At
times agreeable enough, he was only tolerable at best and when even
slightly in liquor he was irritable. His low forehead, over which he
plastered his hair, and his straight yellow eyebrows and hard blue eyes
were not confidence inspiring; even his big mustache was harsh and
lacked a generous curve--his normal outlook seemed one of reticence and
suspicion. Kate refused to like him; his smile was not good.

On this morning he showed the signs of a hard journey. He had brought
the news from the Falling Wall and was just in after a troublesome
ride. Bradley and Belle left the table together and Kate followed to
the door. Bradley tried to edge past the three men without speaking,
but Stone not only stopped him with a cold grin but followed the driver
toward the stage: "Wouldn't that kill you"--Kate heard him say to
Bradley, and she saw his attempt at an ingratiating grin: "Abe Hawk
rustling?"

Bradley gave him scant sympathy: "What did Doubleday discharge him
for?" he demanded. "What did the cattlemen blacklist him for? He's
the best foreman this ranch ever had--or ever will have," added
Bradley, summoning his scant courage to rub it in. "He fired him
because he took up a little piece of land agin the Falling Wall and got
together a few cows of his own. That's a crime, ain't it? Like ----.
These cattlemen will learn a thing or two when they get old."

Stone flared back at him: "What are you over here eating their bacon
for?"

"Not f'r any likin' I've got f'r 'em," retorted Bradley, "n'r f'r any
o' their pets."

The old driver got away without a fight, but he had little to spare.
Van Horn rode off presently with Stone, and Doubleday returned to the
house, where Kate was sitting with Belle. He told Belle he would send
her over to the Junction in the afternoon, and after dinner told Kate
she had better go over and stay at the Junction with Belle till they
could get a room "fixed up" at the ranch.

There were really no accommodations at the ranchhouse