rrigan. Father has the shuriff wi' him, and
they are going to search the ranch for the hides--"

"Good Lord! _What_ hides?"

"The hides of my father's cattle. And if you have any, put them away
quick, where the shuriff canna find them, Mrs. Lorrigan! It's ill I
should go against my father, but you have been so good to me with the
music lessons, and--"

"Don't let the music lessons bother you, Hope. And I guess we're
entitled to all the cowhides we've got on the place, if that's what
you mean. What do you think we are--thieves, Hope Douglas?"

"I dinna say it. I only came to warn ye, so that you may have time tae
put your hides way oot o' their sicht when they come. I dinna want
that your husband should go to prison, Mrs. Lorrigan. But father is
that angry--"

"Well, say! Let me tell you something, Hope. If there's any talk of
stealing and prison for the Lorrigans, your dad had better keep outa
my Tom's sight. And outa mine," she added grimly. "There'll be no
searching for anything on this ranch when my Tom's not here to see
what goes on. You better go back and tell your dad I said it. If you
don't and he brings the sheriff on here, don't blame me if somebody
gets hurt."

"Oh, but it's the law they're bringing on ye! Ye canna go contrary to
the law!" Mary Hope's voice quavered with fear.

"Oh, can't I!" Belle gave her head a tilt. "You beat it, while the
going's good. I hear voices up on the road. If you don't want your dad
to come and catch you here--"

That settled it. Terror drove Mary Hope into the Devil's Tooth trail
at Rab's best pace, which was a stiff-legged lope. Her last glance
backward showed her Belle Lorrigan taking her six-shooter belt off the
buckboard seat and buckling it around her waist so that the gun hung
well forward. Mary Hope shuddered and struck Rab with the quirt.

Belle had led Rosa from the stable and was cautiously fastening the
neck yoke in place when the sheriff and Aleck Douglas rode around the
corner of the stable. Rosa shied and snorted and reared, and Belle
used the rein-ends for a whiplash until Rosa decided that she would
better submit to authority and keep her hide whole. She stood fairly
quiet after that, with little nipping dance-steps in one spot, while
Belle fastened buckles and snaps and trace chains. Subrosa, having had
his tantrum, contented himself with sundry head-shakings and snorts.
When the team was "hooked up" to Belle's satisfaction, she tied them
both firmly