Brill's with the message that meant
so much to the Three Bar. As he left Harris handed him two letters he
had written weeks past, before leaving the ranch.

Presumably only the three of them knew of the intended move but in the
course of the next few days it had become rumored among the men that
the Three Bar was to turn into a farming outfit. The girl learned that
Carpenter was the source of these whispers. Hanson, the rep from the
Halfmoon D, apprised her of this fact.

Ever since the departure of Morrow Carp had been sullen. Twice he had
taken exceptions to some order of Harris's but the new foreman had
patiently overlooked the fact. However on the fifth day after the
departure of Horne with the letter to Judge Colton, Harris whirled on
the man as he made an anti-squatter remark when the hands were gathered
for the noon meal.

"That'll be all," he said. "I'll figure out your time. You took
things up where Morrow left off. Now you can go hunt him up and
compare notes."

"Can't a man speak his mind?" Carp demanded.

"He can talk his head off," Harris said. "But he can't overlook any
Three Bar calves on his circle while I'm running the layout. Morrow
tried that on while he was breaking you in."

Carp surveyed the faces of the men and started to speak but changed his
mind and headed for the rope corral.

"He's a cringing sort of miscreant," Moore said as Carp rode off. "He
was even afraid to speak up for himself--thought maybe the boys would
pass sentence on him before he could get out of sight. I expect Carp
is poor sort of folks."

"That's going to leave us short-handed," Harris said to the girl.
"Morrow, Carp and Bangs--three short. Horne ought to get back from
Brill's to-day. We've only one more week out so I guess we can worry
through."

"How did you know?" she asked. "About Carp, I mean."

"Lanky caught him overlooking a bunch of cows with calves," Harris
explained. "Lanky is worth double pay."

The Three Bar girl had noted that Carpenter had been much with Bentley,
Slade's rep, since Morrow had gone. She had come to be suspicious of
all things connected with Slade.

"Are you watching Bentley?" she asked.

Harris shook his head.

"No use," he said. "Slade wouldn't work that way. Bentley is his
known representative and anything Bent might do would reflect on Slade.
Slade only works through one or two others who arrange for all the
rest. Morrow is likely one of his right-hand me