t Black Arrow.

The old chief spoke again. "Man-with-loud-tongue claim this horse. Utes
give it him. Horse his. Man-with-loud-tongue satisfied then maybe."

"What are you aimin' to do, you red devils?" Houck shouted.

Already he guessed vaguely at the truth. Men were arranging a kind of
harness of rope and rawhide on the animal.

Others stooped to drag the captive forward. He set his teeth to keep back
the shriek of terror that rose to his throat.

He knew now what form the vengeance of the savages was to take.

CHAPTER XLVII

THE KINGDOM OF JOY

A prince of the Kingdom of Joy rode the Piceance trail on a morning glad
with the song of birds and the rippling of brooks. Knee to knee with him
rode his princess, slim and straight, the pink in her soft smooth cheeks,
a shy and eager light in the velvet-dark eyes. They were starting
together on the long, long trail, and the poor young things could vision
it only as strewn with sunbathed columbines and goldenrods.

The princess was a bride, had been one for all of twelve hours. It was
her present conviction that she lived in a world wonderful, and that the
most amazingly radiant thing in it was what had happened to her and Bob
Dillon. She pitied everybody else in the universe. They were so blind!
They looked, but they did not see what was so clear to eyes from which
the veil had been stripped. They went about their humdrum way without
emotion. Their hearts did not sing exultant paeans that throbbed out of
them like joy-notes from a meadow-lark's throat. Only those who had come
happily to love's fruition understood the meaning of life. June was not
only happy; she was this morning wise, heiress of that sure wisdom which
comes only to the young when they discover just why they have been born
into the world.

How many joys there were for those attuned to receive them! Her fingers
laced with Bob's, and from the contact a warm, ecstatic glow flooded both
their bodies. She looked at his clean brown face, with its line of golden
down above where the razor had traveled, with its tousled, reddish hair
falling into the smiling eyes, and a queer little lump surged into the
girl's throat. Her husband! This boy was the mate heaven had sent her to
repay for years of unhappiness.

"My wife!" It was all still so new and unbelievable that Bob's voice
shook a little.

"Are you sorry?" she asked.

Her shy smile teased. She did not ask because she needed information, but
b