must reach its journey's end well ahead of her.

And she, over and over, was asking herself why this man whom she was so
certain she had seen twice that day upon the trail behind her, denied
that he had been the man who got down to look at his horse's foot, who
later had ridden a limping mount aside into the canon. For she felt very
sure that she had not been mistaken and, therefore, that he was lying to
her. She frowned and glanced over her shoulder. She was a little afraid
of a man who could look at her out of clear eyes as he had looked, and
lie to her as she was so confident he had lied. She knew nothing of him
save that this morning he had come to her assistance at a moment of
great peril and that he was suspected by some of a certain robbery and
assault....

"Are you very tired?"

She started. He had turned at last and came back to where she sat.

"No, I am not tired. Why do you ask?"

"There'll be a moon soon. We can let the horses rest a bit.... I have
ridden mine pretty hard the last few days ... and then after moon-up we
can ride on. There's another shack where a man and his wife live just a
little off the trail and about seven miles further on. It'll be better
than trying to make Wendell's place."

CHAPTER IX

THE DOUBLE THEFT

After that there were no more uncomfortable silences in the Harte cabin.
Thornton found a lamp, lighted it and placed it on the table. And with
the act he seemed to take upon himself the part of host, playing it with
a quiet courtesy and gentleness fitting well with the unconscious grace
of his lithe body and with the kindliness softening his dark eyes. He
told her of his ranch, of the cowboys working for him, of the cattle
they were running, of little incidents of everyday life on the range,
seeking to make her forget that in reality they were strangers very
unconventionally placed. And he did not once ask her a direct question
about herself or concerning her business. That she was quick to notice.

For an hour they chatted pleasantly. Now, when Thornton got to his feet
again, and went to the door to see what promise the night gave of being
cloudless and to note the moon already pushing up above the jagged
skyline where the trees stood upon the hill tops, she watched him with
an interest that was not tinged with the vague suspicion of an hour ago.
She saw that as he stood lounging in the doorway, his hands upon his
hips, one shoulder against the rude door jamb, he h