ement was first reached.
There was, too, the other tangle involving young Beaudry. Perhaps he
also would be obstinate and refuse to follow the reasonable course.

Beulah met him on the road. Before they had ridden a hundred yards,
her instinct told her that he was troubled.

"What is it, dad?" she asked.

He compromised with himself and told her part of what was worrying him.
"It's about your friend Street. Jess had him looked up in Denver. The
fellow turns out to be a Royal Beaudry. You've heard of a sheriff of
that name who used to live in this country? . . . Well, this is his
son."

"What's he doing here?"

"Trying to get us into trouble, I reckon. But that ain't the point.
I'm not worrying about what he can find out. Fact is that Tighe is
revengeful. This boy's father crippled him. He wants to get even on
the young fellow. Unless Beaudry leaves the park at once, he'll never
go. I left word at Rothgerber's for him to come down and see me soon
as he gets home."

"Will he come?" she asked anxiously.

"I don't know. If not I'll go up and fetch him. I don't trust Jess a
bit. He'll strike soon and hard."

"Don't let him, dad," the girl implored.

The distressed eyes of the father rested on her. "You like this young
fellow, honey?" he asked.

She flamed. "I hate him. He abused our hospitality. He lied to us
and spied on us. I wouldn't breathe the same air he does if I could
help it. But we can't let him be killed in cold blood."

"That's right, Boots. Well, he'll come down to-day and I'll pack him
back to Battle Butte. Then we'll be shet of him."

Beulah passed the hours in a fever of impatience. She could not keep
her mind on the children she was teaching. She knew Tighe. The
decision of her father to send Beaudry away would spur the cripple to
swift activity. Up at Rothgerber's Jess could corner the man and work
his vengeance unhampered. Why did not the spy come down to the horse
ranch? Was it possible that his pride would make him neglect the
warning her father had left? Perhaps he would think it only a trap to
catch him.

Supper followed dinner, and still Beaudry had not arrived. From the
porch Beulah peered up the road into the gathering darkness. Her
father had been called away. Her brothers were not at home. The girl
could stand it no longer. She went to the stable and saddled Blacky.

Five minutes later she was flying up the road that led to the
Rothgerber place