neck and tied it hold-up fashion around
the lower part of my face. Bear Chief was excited when he saw his running
horse travelling out of the country at the gait we was goin' then."

"I don't see yet, Susie?"

She turned upon Ralston in good-natured contempt.

"Goodness, but you're slow! Don't you understand? Smith's my pal; we're
workin' together. He cooked this up--him takin' the safe and easy end of
it himself. He sprung it on me that day I had a sull on. Don't you see his
game? He thinks if he can get me mixed up in something crooked, he can
manage me. He's noticed, maybe, that I'm not halter-broke. So I pretended
to fall right in with his plans, once I had promised, meanin' all the time
to turn state's evidence, or whatever you call it, and send him over the
road. I wanted to show Mother and everybody else what kind of a man he
is. I don't want no step-papa named Smith."

The three men stared in amazement at the intrepid little creature with her
canny Scotch eyes.

"And do you mean to say," Ralston asked, "that you've held your tongue and
played your part so well that Smith has no suspicions?"

"Hatin' makes you smart," she answered, "and I hate Smith so hard I can't
sleep nights. No, I don't think he is suspicious; because I'm to pack grub
to him this morning, and if he was afraid of me, he'd never let me know
where he was camped. He's holdin' the horses over there in a blind canyon,
and when I go over I'm to help him blotch the brands."

"We want to get the drop on him when he's using the branding-iron."

"And you want to see that he shoves up his hands and keeps them there,"
suggested Susie further, "for he'll take big chances rather than have the
Schoolmarm see him ridin' to the Agency with his wrists tied to the
saddle-horn."

"I know." Ralston knew even better than Susie that Smith would fight like
a rat in a corner to avoid this possibility.

"My!" and Susie gave an explosive sigh, "but it's an awful relief not to
have that secret to pack around any longer, and to feel that I've got
somebody to back me up."

A lump rose in Ralston's throat, and, taking her brown little paws in both
of his, he said:

"To the limit, Susie--to the end of the road."

"And my pardner's in on it, too, if he wants to be," she declared loyally,
slipping her arm through McArthur's.

"To be sure," Ralston seconded cordially. "It will be an adventure for
your diary." He added, laying his hand upon McArthur's shoulder: