othing rash. Now they know you're here, they won't do a thing but sit
down and be happy, I expect."

The twins whispered together for a minute, then the boy kissed her, put
her from him suddenly, and strode away. From the door he called back two
words at the cattleman.

"Don't forget."

With that, he was gone. Yet a moment, and they heard the clatter of his
horse's hoofs.

"Why did you tell him?" Phyllis asked. "It will only anger them. Now
they will seek vengeance on you."

The man shrugged his shoulders. "Search me. Perhaps I wanted to prove to
myself that a man may be a mean bully, and not all coyote. Perhaps I
wanted to get under his hide. Who knows?"

She knew, in part. He had treated her abominably, and wanted blindly to
pay for it in the first way that came to his mind. Half savage as he
sometimes was, that way had been to stand up to personal punishment, to
invite retaliation from his enemies.

"You must have your face looked to. Shall I call Josephine?"

"No," he answered harshly.

"I think I will. We can help it, I'm sure."

That "we" saved the day. He let her call the Mexican woman, and order
warm water, towels, dressings, and adhesive plaster. It seemed to him
more than a fancy that there was healing in the cool, soft fingers which
washed his face and adjusted the bandages. His eyes, usually so hard,
held now the dumb hunger one sees in those of a faithful dog. They
searched hers for something which he knew he would never find in them.

CHAPTER X

INTO THE ENEMY'S COUNTRY

A man lay on the top of Flat Rock, stretched at supple ease. By his side
was a carbine; in his hand a pair of field glasses. These last had been
trained upon Twin Star Ranch for some time, but were now focused upon a
pair of approaching riders. At the edge of the young willow grove the
two dismounted and came forward leisurely.

"Looks like the mountains are coming to Mahomet this trip," the watcher
told himself.

One figure was that of a girl--a brown, light-stepping nymph, upon whom
the checkered sunlight filtered through the leaves. The other was a
finely built man, strong as an ox, but with the sap of youth still in
his blood and the spring of it in his step, in spite of his nearly
twoscore years. He stopped at the foot of Flat Rock, and turned to his
companion.

"I've been wondering why you went riding with me yesterday and again
to-day, Miss Phyllis. I reckon I've hit on the reason."

"I like to ride."