et spoke when he
had completed the rolling of the cigarette and was holding a flaring
match to it. He took a tigerish amusement from the old man's plight.

"I reckon I come pretty near doin' for you, eh?" he said, grinning.
"Well, there ain't no tellin' when a man will make a mistake." His
gaze left the old man and was directed at the girl. "I reckon we'll
clear things up a bit now, ma'am," he said. "What are you an' your
grand-pap doin' at the Lazy Y?"

"We live here."

"Where's the old coyote which has been callin' himself my dad?"

A sudden change came over the girl; a vindictive satisfaction seemed to
radiate from her. So it appeared to Calumet. In the flashing look she
gave him he thought he could detect a knowledge of advantage, a
consciousness of power, over him. Her voice emphasized this impression.

"Your father's dead," she returned, and watched him narrowly.

Calumet's eyelashes flickered once. Shock or emotion, this was all the
evidence he gave of it. He puffed long and deeply at his cigarette and
not for an instant did he remove his gaze from the girl's face, for he
was studying her, watching for a recurrence of the subtle gleam that he
had previously caught. But in the look that she now gave him there was
nothing but amusement. Apparently she was enjoying him. Certainly she
had entirely recovered from the shock he had caused her.

"Dead, eh?" he said. "When did he cash in?"

"A week ago today."

Calumet's eyelashes flickered again. Here was the explanation for that
mysterious impulse which had moved him to return home. It was just a
week ago that he had taken the notion and he had acted upon it
immediately. He had heard of mental telepathy, and here was a working
illustration of it. However, he gave no thought to its bearing on his
presence at the Lazy Y beyond skeptically assuring himself that it was
a mere coincidence. In any event, what did it matter? He was here;
that was the main thing.

His thoughts had become momentarily introspective, and when his mental
faculties returned to a realization of the present he saw that the girl
was regarding him with an intense and wondering gaze. She had been
studying him and when she saw him looking at her she turned her head.
He experienced an unaccountable elation, though he kept his voice dryly
sarcastic.

"I reckon the ol' fool asked for me?"

"Yes."

This time Calumet could not conceal his surprise; it was revealed in
the sk