rt, but he got about like a coyote and when he sat down on
a rope you couldn't budge him with a team of Percherons. That's how good
he was! When he was a four year old I was cutting out yearlin's with
him, and how--"

The loud, cheerful tone fell away to a confidential murmur, Daniels
leaned closer, with a smile of prospective humor, but the words which
came to Gregg were: "Partner, if I was you I'd get up and git and I
wouldn't stop till I put a hell of a long ways between me and this
cabin!"

It spoke well of Vic's nerve that no start betrayed him. He bowed his
head a little, as though to catch the trend of the jolly story better,
nodding.

"What's wrong?" he muttered back.

"Barry's watchin' you out of the shadow."

Then: "You fool, don't look!"

But there was method in Vic's raising his head. He threw it back and
broke into laughter, but while he laughed he searched the shadow by the
wall where Dan sat, and he felt glimmering eyes fixed steadily upon him.
He dropped his head again, as if to hear more.

"What's it mean, Daniels?"

"You ought to know. I don't. But he don't mean you no good. He's lookin'
at you too steady. If I was you--"

Through the whisper of Buck, through the loud, steady talk of Lee
Haines, cut the voice of Barry.

"Vic!"

The latter looked up and found that Barry was standing just within the
glow of the hearth-light and something about him made Gregg's heart
shrink.

"Vic, how much did they pay you?"

He tried to answer; he would have given ten years of life to have his
voice under control for an instant; but his tongue froze. He knew that
every one had turned toward him and he tried to smile, look unconcerned,
but in spite of himself his eyes were wide, fixed, and he felt that they
could stare into the bottom of his soul and see the guilt.

"How much?"

Then his voice came, but he could have groaned when he heard its crazily
shaken, shrill sound.

"What d'you mean, Dan?"

The other smiled and Gregg added hastily: "If you want me to be movin'
along, Dan, of course you're the doctor."

"How much did they pay?" repeated the quiet, inexorable voice.

He could have stood that, even without much fear, for no matter how
terrible the man might be in action his hands were tied in his own
house; but now Kate spoke: "Vic, what have you done?"

Then it came, in a flood. Hot shame rolled through him and the words
burst out:

"I'm a yaller houn'-dog, a sneakin' no-good cur! Dan,