for a brood-mare next year, the
three-year-old destined to draw all eyes as he stepped daintily among
the best of the single-footers in Golden Gate Park, the rich red bay
gelding that he would mate for a splendid carriage team. . . . Oh, he
knew them all like human friends, planned the future for each, the sale
of each would be no sorrow but rather a triumph of success. And now,
to see them lumped and sold to Doan, Rockwell & Haight--even that hurt.
But most of all did Judith's treatment of him cut, cut deep.

"You're a fool, Bud Lee," he told himself softly. "Oh, God, what a
fool!"

"The buyers will be here the first thing to-morrow," said Hampton.
"Judith says we're to have everything ready for them."

"I'll not keep her waiting," answered Lee quietly. And with a quick
touch of the spur he whirled his horse and left Hampton abruptly, going
straight to the plateau.

"Round 'em up, Tommy," he said sharply. "Every damned hoof of them:
They go back to the corrals."

Though quick questions surged up in Tommy's brain, none of them was
asked just yet, for he had seen the look on Lee's face.

It was early in the afternoon when Hampton carried his messages to
Carson and Lee. It was after dark when Lee, his work done, his heart
still sore and heavy, came into the men's bunk-house. It was very
still, though close to a dozen men were in the room. Lee's eyes found
Carson and he guessed the reason for the silence. Carson was in a
towering rage that flamed red-hot in his eyes; under the spell of his
dominating emotion, the men sat and stared at him.

"Well, what's wrong?" asked Lee coolly from the door.

"Good goddlemighty!" growled Carson snappishly. "You stan' there an'
ask what's the matter. If they's anything that ain't the matter an'
you'll spell its name to me I'll put in with you. The whole outfit's
going to pot, an' I, for one, don't care how soon it goes."

"Rather a nice way for a cattle foreman to talk about his ranch, isn't
it?" asked Lee colorlessly.

"Cattle foreman?" sniffed Carson with further expletives. "Now will
you stan' on your two feet an' explain to me how in blue blazes a man
can be a cattle foreman when there ain't no cattle!"

"So that's it, is it? I didn't know how close you were selling off----"

"Don't say _me_ selling! Why, I got silage to run my cow brutes all
winter, what with the dry feed in them canons----"

Lee didn't hear the rest. It had been his intention to come