h provisions until the tender made
his next round.

At times it was Donald's turn to make this trip; on other days Sandy or
Bernardo went. As there was always the chance of meeting a grizzly or a
rattler the journey was not without its perils.

Thus the summer passed.

Then came the fall days, when threatened cold made it necessary to turn
the heads of the herd toward the lower hills of the winter range.
Downward they wended their way. Flurries of snow caught them unawares
and at these blizzards Sandy's face always became grave, for it was in
one of these sudden squalls that his father, Old Angus, had perished.
Although the days were chilly and the nights still colder, Mr. Clark and
Donald kept resolutely with the flock; but when they reached the
lowlands and the Scotch herder directed his band of sheep toward the
bronzed fields of sage-brush and dried hay lying along the river valley
Donald and his father bade good-bye to Bernardo and Sandy and returned
to the shelter of the home ranch.

Thornton welcomed them.

There was something new in his manner--a strange, unaccustomed dignity
which lent to the man a charm he had never before possessed.

"Thornton did not shuffle toward us and look down as he usually does,"
observed Donald to his father when they were alone. "He is different,
somehow. What is it?"

"I am not sure, son, but I cannot help feeling that Thornton has come to
his best self. The best is in all of us. It is not, however, always
uppermost. Perhaps it is going to triumph in Thornton."

There unquestionably was a change in the big rough man.

That evening he got out the books and went over all the accounts with
Mr. Clark, telling him just what supplies he had ordered; what they had
cost; and how much he had paid out in wages. In dealing with financial
matters Mr. Clark was on his native heath. He studied the columns of
figures critically. The accounts were correct to a cent, and he could
readily see that every reasonable economy had been practiced in the
management of the ranch.

"You have done well, Thornton," he said after he had finished looking
over the bills and papers. "I am greatly obliged to you for your
faithful work."

Donald saw a flush of pleasure rise to the man's cheek.

"My work has not always been faithful, Mr. Clark," Thornton declared
with sudden determination. "I want to tell you, sir, that I was not
setting out to be faithful to you at all. I wanted to get Johnson's
place,