erked
one of the guns out, wheeled upon Chadron and fired. The lieutenant
struck up her arm in time to save the cattleman's life. The blow sent
the pistol whirling out of her hand.

"They will go off that way, sometimes," said the young officer, with
apology in his soft voice.

The soldiers closed around Chadron and hurried him away. A moment
Major King sat looking at Macdonald, whose blood was wasting in the
roadside dust from a wound in his chest. Then he flashed a look into
Frances' face that had a sneer of triumph in it, wheeled his horse and
galloped away.

In a moment the lieutenant was summoned, leaving Frances alone between
the two forces with Macdonald. She did not know whether he was dead.
She dropped to her knees in the dust and began to tear frantically at
his shirt to come to the wound. Tom Lassiter came hurrying up with
others, denouncing the treacherous shot, swearing vengeance on the
cowardly head that had conceived so murderous a thing.

Lassiter said that he was not dead, and set to work to stem the blood.
It seemed to Frances that the world had fallen away from her, leaving
her alone. She stood aside a little, her chin up in her old imperious
way, her eyes on the far hills where the tender sunlight was just
striking among the white-limbed aspen trees. But her heart was bent
down to the darkness of despair.

She asked no questions of the men who were working so earnestly after
their crude way to check that precious stream; she stood in the
activity of passing troopers and escorted raiders insensible of any
movement or sound in all the world around her. Only when Tom Lassiter
stood from his ministrations and looked at her with understanding in
his old weary eyes she turned her face back again, slowly resolute, to
see if he had died.

Her throat was dry. It took an effort to bring a sound from it, and
then it was strained and wavering.

"Is he--dead?"

"No, miss, he ain't dead," Tom answered. But there was such a shadow
of sorrow and pain in his eyes that tears gushed into her own.

"Will--will--"

Tom shook his head. "The Lord that give him alone can answer that," he
said, a feeling sadness in his voice.

The troops had moved on, save the detail singled for police duty.
These were tightening girths and trimming for the road again a little
way from the spot where Macdonald lay. The lieutenant returned
hastily.

"Miss Landcraft, I am ordered to convey you to Alamito Ranch--under
guard,"