ave him when Mrs. Kate was not looking, a
plan he had half formed crystallized into a determination. He would not
tell her anything about it until he knew just what he was up against,
and how long it was going to take him to free himself. And since he
could not do anything about it while he rode and planned and gave orders
at the Double Cross, he swallowed his breakfast rather hurriedly and
went out to find Jim Felton.

"Say, Jim," he began, when he ran that individual to earth in the
stable, where, with a pair of sheep shears, he was roaching the mane of
a shaggy old cow pony to please Buddy, who wanted to make him look like
a circus horse, even if there was no hope of his ever acting like one.
"I'm going to hand you the lines and let you drive, for a few days. I've
got to scout around on business of my own, and I don't know just how
long it's going to take me. I'm going right away--to-day."

"Yeah?" Jim poised the shears in air and regarded him quizzically over
the pony's neck. "Going to pass me foreman's privilege--to hire and
fire?" he grinned. "Because I may as well tell you that if you do, Dick
won't be far behind you on the trail."

"Oh, darn Dick. I'll fire him myself, maybe, before I leave. Yes," he
added, thinking swiftly of Josephine as the object of Dick's desires,
"that's what I'll do. Maybe it'll save a lot of trouble while I'm gone.
He's a tricky son-of-a-gun."

"You're dead right; he is," Jim agreed. And then, dryly: "Grandmother
just died?"

"Oh, shut up. This ain't an excuse--it's business. I've just got to go,
and that's all there is to it. I'll fix things with the missus, and tell
her you're in charge. Anyway, I won't be gone any longer than I can
help."

"I believe that, too," said Jim softly, and busied himself with the
shears.

Ford looked at him sharply, in doubt as to just how much or how little
Jim meant by that. He finally shrugged his shoulders and went away to
tell Mrs. Kate, and found that a matter which required more diplomacy
than he ever suspected he possessed. But he did tell her, and he hoped
that she believed the reason he gave for going, and also had some faith
in his assurance that he would be back, probably, in a couple of
days--or as soon afterwards as might be.

"There's nothing but chores to do now around the ranch, and Jack will
ride fence," he explained unnecessarily, to cover his discomfort at her
coldness. "Jim can look after things just as well as I can. There won