a
doubtful Unionist had preceded him, but this would not account for their
conduct in a district so strongly Southern in sympathy as Fair Plains.
More impressed by the occurrence than he cared to admit, when at last,
after some delay, he had secured his horse, and was once more in the
saddle, he kept a sharp lookout for his quondam companion. But here
another circumstance added to his suspicions: there was a main road
leading to Santa Inez, the next town, and the Rancho, and this Clarence
had purposely taken in order to watch the Missourian; but there was
also a cutoff directly to the Rancho, known only to the habitues of the
Rancho. After a few moments' rapid riding on a mustang much superior to
any in the hotel stables, he was satisfied that the stranger must
have taken the cut-off. Putting spurs to his horse he trusted still to
precede him to the Rancho--if that were his destination.

As he dashed along the familiar road, by a strange perversity of fancy,
instead of thinking of his purpose, he found himself recalling the first
time he had ridden that way in the flush of his youth and hopefulness.
The girl-sweetheart he was then going to rejoin was now the wife of
another; the woman who had been her guardian was now his own wife. He
had accepted without a pang the young girl's dereliction, but it was
through her revelation that he was now about to confront the dereliction
of his own wife. And this was the reward of his youthful trust and
loyalty! A bitter laugh broke from his lips. It was part of his still
youthful self-delusion that he believed himself wiser and stronger for
it.

It was quite dark when he reached the upper field or first terrace of
the Rancho. He could see the white walls of the casa rising dimly out of
the green sea of early wild grasses, like a phantom island. It was here
that the cut-off joined the main road--now the only one that led to the
casa. He was satisfied that no one could have preceded him from Fair
Plains; but it was true that he must take precautions against his
own discovery. Dismounting near a clump of willows, he unsaddled and
unbridled his horse, and with a cut of the riata over its haunches
sent it flying across the field in the direction of a band of feeding
mustangs, which it presently joined. Then, keeping well in the shadow of
a belt of shrub-oaks, he skirted the long lesser terraces of the casa,
intending to approach the house by way of the old garden and corral.
A drizzli