brutish-built proprietor, resulting from his heavy
losses on Thunderbolt in the two-mile sweepstakes when the Gold Dust
maverick, ridden by the drug-crazed Ramblin' Kid, darted under the wire
lengths ahead of the black Vermejo stallion.

Friday evening Old Heck had met Dorsey in the pool-room.

Judge Ivory handed over to the owner of the Quarter Circle KT the Y-Bar
cattleman's check for ten thousand dollars and the bill of sale he had
recklessly given and which transferred to Old Heck all the cattle the
Vermejo rancher owned.

Dorsey was game.

"You put it on me," he said to Old Heck "but the Ramblin' Kid won square
and I'm not squealing!"

Old Heck turned the check slowly over in his hand and looked at it with
a quizzical frown on his face:

"I reckon this is good?"

"It's my exact balance," Dorsey replied; "I saw to that this morning."

For a long minute Old Heck studied the bill of sale that made him owner
of every cow-brute burnt with the Y-Bar brand.

"My men will gather the cattle within fifteen days," Dorsey said dully,
noting the half-questioning look on Old Heck's face, "or you can send
your own crew, just as you please. I suppose you'll meet me half-way and
receive the stock in Eagle Butte?"

"Can Thunderbolt run?" Old Heck asked irrelevantly.

"Not as fast as that imp of hell of the Ramblin' Kid's!" Dorsey answered
instantly and with a short laugh.

Old Heck chuckled.

"You say you'll turn the Y-Bar cattle over to me within fifteen days?"
he asked again, reverting to a study of the paper he held in his hand.

"Yes," Dorsey replied; "is that satisfactory?"

"You're a pretty good sport, after all, Dorsey," Old Heck said quietly.
"I'll cash this check"--glancing at the yellow slip of paper--"and this
thing, here--we'll just tear it up!" as he reduced the bill of sale to
fragments. "Keep your cattle, Dorsey," he added, "ten thousand dollars
is enough for you to pay for your lesson!"

Dorsey flushed a dull red.

"I ain't asking--"

"I know you're not," Old Heck interrupted, "and that's the reason I tore
up that bill of sale!"

"Old Heck," Dorsey said, his voice trembling, "you're white! I'd like to
shake--"

The rival cattlemen gripped hands and the racing feud between the
Quarter Circle KT and the Y-Bar was ended.

A week later Dorsey sent Flip Williams to the Quarter Circle KT. The
Vermejo cowboy led the beautiful black stallion that had mastered
Quicksilver and had in turn been whipp