ead him. But if that had been her
plan she had failed to fool him, for he watched unceasingly, and many
nights when Betty thought him asleep he was secreted in the wood near
the ranchhouse. He increased his vigilance after receiving word that
Taggart had not been badly injured. More, he rarely allowed Betty to
get out of his sight, for he was determined to defeat the plan to rob
him.

However, the days passed and Taggart did not put in an appearance.
Time removes the sting from many hurts and even jealousy's pangs are
assuaged by the flight of days. And so after a while Calumet's
vigilance relaxed, and he began to think that he had scared Taggart
away. He noted with satisfaction that Betty seemed to treat him less
coldly, and he felt a pulse of delight over the thought that perhaps
she had repented and had really tried to hit Taggart that morning.

Once he seized upon this idea he could not dispel it. More, it grew on
him, became a foundation upon which he built a structure of defense for
Betty. Taggart had been trying to deceive her. She had discovered his
intentions and had broken with him. Perhaps she had seen the injustice
of her actions. He began to wish he had treated her a little less
cruelly, a little more civilly, began to wish that he had yielded to
those good impulses which he had felt occasionally of late. His
attitude toward Betty became almost gentle, and there were times when
she watched him with wondering curiosity, as though not quite
understanding the change that had come in him.

But Dade understood. He had "sized" Calumet "up" in those first days
and his judgment had been unerring, as it was now when Betty asked his
opinion.

"He's beginnin' to use his brain box," he told her. "He's been a
little shy an' backward, not knowin' what to expect, an' makin'
friend's bein' a little new to him. But he's the goods at bottom, an'
he's sighted a goal which he's thinkin' to make one of these days."

"A goal?" said she, puzzled.

"Aw, you female critters is deep ones," grinned Dade, "an' all smeared
over with honey an' innocence. You're the goal he's after. An' I'm
bettin' he'll get you."

Her face reddened, and she looked at him plainly indignant.

"He is a brute," she said.

"Most all men is brutes if you scratch them deep enough," drawled Dade.
"The trouble with Calumet is that he's never had a chance to spread on
the soft stuff. He's the plain, unvarnished, dyed-in-the-wool,
orig