he deal." He swung
short around, discovered that Evadna was clutching his arm and crying,
and pulled loose from her with a gesture of impatience. With the gun
still in his hand, he walked quickly down the road in the direction of
the garden.

"He's mad! The boy is mad! He's going to kill--" Phoebe gave a sob, and
ran after him, and with her went Miss Georgie and Evadna, white-faced,
all three of them.

"Come on, boys--he's going to clean out the whole bunch!" whooped Gene.

"Oh, choke off!" Wally gritted disgustedly, glancing over his shoulder
at them. "Go back to the house, and STAY there! Ma, make Vad quit that
yelling, can't yuh?" He looked eloquently at Jack, keeping pace with him
and smiling with the steely glitter in his eyes. "Women make me sick!"
he snorted under his breath.

Peaceful stared after them, went into the stable, and got a blanket to
throw over Baumberger's inert body, stooped, and made sure that the man
was dead, with the left breast of his light negligee shirt all blackened
with powder and soaked with blood; covered him well, and tied up the
team. Then he went to the house, and got the old rifle that had killed
Indians and buffalo alike, and went quickly through the grove to
the garden. He was a methodical man, and he was counted slow, but
nevertheless he reached the scene not much behind the others. Wally was
trying to send his mother to the house with Evadna, and neither would
go. Miss Georgie was standing near Good Indian, watching Stanley with
her lips pressed together.

It is doubtful if Good Indian realized what the others were doing. He
had gone straight past the line of stakes to where Stanley was sitting
with his back against the lightning-stricken apricot tree. Stanley was
smoking a cigarette as if he had heard nothing of the excitement, but
his rifle was resting upon his knee in such a manner that he had but to
lift it and take aim. The three others were upon their own claims, and
they, also, seemed unobtrusively ready for whatever might be going to
happen.

Good Indian appraised the situation with a quick glance as he came up,
but he did not slacken his pace until he was within ten feet of Stanley.

"You're across the dead line, m' son," said Stanley, with lazy
significance. "And you, too," he added, flickering a glance at Miss
Georgie.

"The dead line," said Good Indian coolly, "is beyond the Point o' Rocks.
I'd like to see you on the other side by sundown."

Stanley looked