inge, and was working his way back toward
the house. The darkness was profound here. The dense, sad-foliaged
pines dropped their ponderous boughs low about him as he passed,
shielding him from all possible view from the ranch. And, even over
the underlay of brittle cones, his moccasined feet bore him along in
a silent, ghostly manner. It was the first time in his life he had
been forced to steal upon anybody's house like a thief in the night;
but he felt that his object was more than sufficient justification.

Now he looked keenly for any sign of lights among the ranch buildings.
The bunkhouse was in darkness, but Jake's house was still lit up.
However, this did not bother him much. He knew that the foreman was in
the habit of keeping his lamp burning, even after retiring. Perhaps he
read at night. The idea amused him, and he wondered what style of
literature might appeal to a man of Jake's condition of mind. But even
as he watched, the light went out, and he felt more satisfied.

He reached a point on the edge of the forest opposite the barn. Then
something brought him up with a start. Some unusual sound had caught
his ear. It was the murmur of voices in the distance. Immediately his
mind went back to his first night on the ranch, and he remembered Red
Mask and his attendant horseman. Now he listened, peering hard into
the darkness in the direction of the house, at the point whence the
sound was proceeding. Whoever were talking they seemed to be standing
still. The sound grew no louder, nor did it die away. His curiosity
drew him on; and with cautious steps, he crept forward.

He tried to estimate how far the speakers were from the house. It
seemed to him that they were somewhere in the neighborhood of the
rancher's private stable. But he could not be altogether sure.

Now, as he drew nearer, the voices became louder. He could distinctly
hear the rise and fall of their tones, but still they were
unrecognizable. Again he paused, this time for caution's sake only. He
estimated that he was within twenty-five yards of the stable. It would
not be safe to go further. The steady murmur that reached him was
tantalizing. Under ordinary circumstances he would have risked
discovery and gone on, but he could not jeopardize his present object.

He stretched himself under the shelter of a low bush, and, strangely
enough, recognized it as the one he had lain under on that memorable
first night. This realization brought him a grim