d her. "But, as I've just
hinted, my work here has got into the habit of running away with me
into the night. I really came up for a word with Miss Sanford."

"Oh, didn't you know?" asked Marcia. "Judith isn't here."

"Isn't here?" He frowned. "No, I didn't know. I haven't seen much of
her lately and didn't know her plans. Where is she?"

"In San Francisco. Her lawyers sent for her, you know. Something
about a tangle in her father's business. Funny you hadn't heard; she
left Saturday night."

Saturday? This was Tuesday evening. Judith had been away three full
days. Lee, thinking hurriedly, thought that he saw now the explanation
of Judith's ordering a sale like this. Her lawyers had found what
Marcia called a "tangle" in Luke Sanford's affairs; there had been an
insistent call for a large sum of money to straighten it out, and
Judith had accepted the only solution.

Still, it didn't seem like Judith to sell like this at a figure so
ridiculously low. Doan, Rockwell & Haight were not the only buyers on
the coast. Lee himself could get more for the horses if he had two
days' time to look around; the cattle were worth a great deal more than
they were being sold for, even with the market down.

"Did she have an idea what the trouble was before she left?" he asked
finally.

"Why," said Marcia, "I don't know. You see, she slipped out late
Saturday night after we'd all gone to bed. There was a message for her
over the telephone; she got up, dressed, saddled her own horse and rode
into Rocky Bend alone, just leaving a note for me that she might be
gone a week or two."

Just why he experienced a sense of uneasiness even then, Lee did not
know. It was like Judith to act swiftly when need be; to go alone and
on the spur of the minute to catch her train; to slip out quietly
without disturbing her guest.

"You have heard from her since?" he demanded abruptly.

"Not a word," said Marcia. "She doesn't like letter-writing and so I
haven't expected to hear from her."

Lee chatted with her for a moment, then claiming work still to be done,
turned to go back down the knoll. A new thought upon him, he once more
came to Marcia's side.

"I expect I'd better see Hampton," he said. "Do you know where he is?"

"Where he has been every night since Judith left," laughed Marcia.
"He's old Mr. Business Man these days. In the office."

There Lee found him. Hampton, his hair ruffled, Judith's table
littered wi