ut your brother or I would have added a few extra pounds to that
punch."

Her face clouded as he mentioned her brother. "Poor Ed," she said in a
low voice. She went over to the man, leaning over him and smoothing back
the hair from his forehead, Hollis looking glumly on, clenching his
teeth in impotent sympathy.

"These attacks do not come often," she volunteered as she again
approached Hollis. "But they do come," she added, her voice catching.
Hollis did not reply, feeling that he had no right to be inquisitive.
But she continued, slightly more at ease and plainly pleased to have
some one in whom she might confide.

"Ed was injured a year ago through a fall," she informed Hollis. "He was
breaking a wild horse and a saddle girth broke and he fell, striking on
his head. The wound healed, but he has never been the same. At intervals
these attacks come on and then he is irresponsible--and dangerous." She
shuddered. "You were watching him," she added, looking suddenly at him;
"did you find him as he is or did he attack you? Frequently when he has
these attacks he comes here to Devil's Hollow, explaining that he
expects to find some of Dunlavey's men. He doesn't like Dunlavey," she
added with a flush, "since Dunlavey----" She hesitated and then went on
determinedly--"well, since Dunlavey told him that he wanted to marry me.
But Ed says that Dunlavey has a wife in Tucson and--well, I wouldn't
have married him anyway--the brute!"

"Exactly," agreed Hollis gravely, trying to repress a thrill of
satisfaction; "of course you couldn't marry him." He understood now the
meaning of Dunlavey's words to her in Dry Bottom. "If you wasn't such a
damn prude," he had said. He looked at the girl with a sudden, grim
smile. "He said something about running you and your brother out of the
country," he said; "of course you won't allow him to do that?"

The girl's slight figure stiffened. "I would like to see him try it!"
she declared defiantly.

Hollis grinned. "That's the stuff!" he sympathized. "I rather think that
Dunlavey is something of a bluffer--that folks in this country have
allowed him to have his own way too much."

She shook her head doubtfully. "I don't know about that," she returned.
Then she smiled. "You are the new owner of the Circle Bar, aren't you?"

Hollis startled, looking at her with a surprised smile. "Yes," he
returned, "I am the new owner. But how did you know it? I haven't told
anyone here except Neil Norton a