e should
Maison proceed against him.

But Sanderson had little fear that Maison would attempt reprisal. If
he had judged the man correctly, Maison would not talk, even to
Silverthorn.

Sanderson cared very little if he did talk. He had reached the point
where the killing of his enemies would come easy to him. They had
chosen lawlessness, and he could wage that kind of warfare as well as
they. He had shown them that he could.

He disclosed the visible proof of his ability. One by one he drew the
packages of currency from various pockets, tossing them at random on
the kitchen table. He was standing at the table, counting the bills in
one of the packages, when he heard a sound behind him. He wheeled, to
confront Mary Bransford.

She was dressed, but her face was as yet unwashed, and her hair
uncombed. She stood in the doorway between the dining-room and the
kitchen, looking at Sanderson in sleepy-eyed bewilderment.

"I saw you riding in," she said. "Where on earth have you been at this
hour? You came from the direction of Okar."

"Business," he grinned.

"Business! Why, what kind of business could take you to Okar during
the night?"

"If you could get the sleep out of your eyes," he suggested, "mebbe you
could see. It's the kind of business that all the world is interested
in--gettin' the money."

And then she saw the packages of bills. She rubbed her eyes as though
in doubt of the accuracy of her vision; they grew wide and bright with
astonishment and wonder, and she gave a little, breathless gasp as she
ran forward to the table and looked down at the mound of wealth.

And then, convinced that her senses had not played her a trick, her
face whitened, she drew a long breath, and turned to Sanderson,
grasping the lapels of his coat and holding them tightly.

"Sanderson," she said in an awed voice, "what have you done? Where did
you get that money?"

He told her, and her eyes dilated. "What a reckless thing to do!" she
said. "They might have killed you!"

"Maison was havin' thoughts the other way round," he grinned. "He was
mighty glad I didn't make him pay for the men he killed."

"They'll be after you--they'll kill you for that!" she told him.

"Shucks," he laughed. He showed her the document written and signed by
Maison, and attested by Judge Graney:

This is to certify that I have tonight paid to Deal Sanderson the sum
of ninety thousand dollars for three thousand head of cattle r