t fresh hope leaped up into her heart, though she could scarce believe
her ears when Broderick's voice in answer was like the snarl of a beast,
harsh with anger, snapping out his words fiercely:

"Come out here. I want to talk with you outside. And, for God's sake,
man, hurry!"

Pollard, too, started. Bud King looked up with wondering eyes from his
swinging hat. Pollard, with the briefest sign of hesitation, went out of
the room and to the front door.

No sooner had he gone than the girl, her face flushed, her eyes
brilliant with the excitement in them, snatched the paper from the bosom
of her dress and, tiptoeing to King, forced it into his big hand. Not a
word did she speak, not so much as a whisper. But she laid her finger
upon her lips, glanced from him toward the door, and tiptoed back to her
seat. And Bud King understood in part while he could not understand in
full, and thrust the note into his pocket.

When a moment later King rose to go she went with him to the door. She
caught a glimpse of Ben Broderick's face, though he hid it from her
instantly, whirling about upon his heel; she felt sick and dizzy with a
sudden dread of she knew not what. For his face was dead white and
horribly drawn with the rage that blazed in his eyes and distorted his
mouth, and she saw, standing up in his soul, that thing which one may
not look upon and misread: that rage that drives a man to kill. And she
saw, too, that a white bandage was tied about his head, under his hat
brim, and that the bandage was red with blood.

CHAPTER XXIV

THE GENTLEMAN FROM NEW MEXICO

Thornton returned rather early that night to the ranch cabin. That he
came in at all, instead of remaining far out upon the range border as
his men were doing, was because tomorrow he planned on riding to Dry
Town where he would raise the four thousand five hundred dollars for
Henry Pollard, and he wanted to make an early start.

He left his horse at the barn, passed the bunk house and was crossing
the little footbridge which spanned Big Little River, going straight to
his cabin upon the knoll, when he saw that while the bunk house was dark
there shone a light from his cabin window. Wondering who his guest might
prove to be he strode up the knoll. The cabin door was open, he could
see his lamp burning upon the table, and sitting upon his chair, hands
clasped behind head and cigar smoking lazily, was a man he had never
seen before.

He came on, still wond