oung man's face was sullen, but his head was held very erect, and
his eyes were steady and unwavering as he watched the big man.

The girl at whom Miss Bransford was looking stood near the young man.
Sanderson saw her turn from Miss Bransford and look at the young man
piteously, her lips quivering suspiciously.

There was another man in the group--an under-sized fellow, pale,
emaciated, with big, troubled, and perplexed eyes. Sanderson saw that
his hands were clenched, and that his thin lips were pressed so tightly
together that they were blue and bloodless.

This man stood slightly apart from the others, as though he had no part
in what was going on; though Sanderson could tell from his manner that
he was laboring under an intense strain.

Miss Bransford and the big man were the opposing forces in what was
transpiring--Sanderson knew that from Miss Bransford's manner of
answering the big man's question. Her "yes" had been uttered
reluctantly. Her testimony was damaging--she knew it, and her
sympathies were with the young man with the rope around his neck.

Sanderson knew nothing of the motives that were actuating the people of
this little drama, but he was entirely conscious of the visible forces
that were at work.

Plainly, the big man had accused the captive of stealing cattle; he had
brought the supposed culprit to face the owner of the stolen stock; he
had constituted himself judge and jury, and was determined to hang the
young man.

The two men with the big man were noncommittal. The pale, undersized
man was a mere onlooker whose sympathies were with the accused. Miss
Bransford would have been quite willing to have this young man escape
punishment, but she could not deny that the cattle in question belonged
to her.

Sanderson was in doubt about the other young woman, though obviously
she was closely related to him--a wife, or sister--perhaps a sweetheart.

Sanderson studied the young man's face, comparing it with the big
man's, and his lips stiffened. He backed Streak slightly and swung
crosswise in the saddle, intense interest seizing him.

The big man grinned, first at Miss Bransford, and then at the other
girl.

"I reckon that settles it," he said. "There don't seem to be nothin'
more to it. Miss Bransford says the cattle is hers, an' we found them
in Ben Nyland's corral. There ain't-----"

"Alva Dale, you are a sneak and a liar!"

This was the girl. She had stepped forward until she w