irs to greet her
guest--for there might have been some excuse for the lapse of
propriety--some accident--something, anything.

"I expected you last night," she said as she met Hester at the door. "You
were delayed I presume. Has anything happened?"

"Nothing, dearie." Only the bold significance of Hester's smile hid its
deliberate maliciousness. "Trev was so glad to see me that he simply
wouldn't let me go. And it was daylight before we realized it."

The girl gasped. And now, looking at the woman, she saw what Trevison had
seen--staring back at her, naked and repulsive. She shuddered, and her
face whitened.

"There are hotels at Manti, Mrs. Harvey," she said coldly.

"Oh, very well!" The woman did not change her smile. "I shall be very glad
to take advantage of your kind invitation. For Trev tells me that
presently there will be much bitterness between your crowd and himself,
and I am certain that he wouldn't want me to stay here. If you will kindly
have a man bring my trunks--"

And so she rode toward Manti. Not until the varying undulations of the
land hid her from view of the Bar B ranchhouse did she lose the malicious
smile. Then it faded, and furious sobs of disappointment shook her.

CHAPTER XVIII

LAW INVOKED AND DEFIED

As soon as the deputies had gone, two of them nursing injured heads, and
all exhibiting numerous bruises, Judge Lindman rose and dressed. In the
ghostly light preceding the dawn he went to the safe, his fingers
trembling so that he made difficult work with the combination. He got a
record from out of the safe, pulled out the bottom drawer, of a series
filled with legal documents and miscellaneous articles, laid the record
book on the floor and shoved the drawer in over it. An hour later he was
facing Corrigan, who on getting a report of the incident from one of the
deputies, had hurried to get the Judge's version. The Judge had had time
to regain his composure, though he was still slightly pale and nervous.

The Judge lied glibly. He had seen no one in the courthouse. His first
knowledge that anyone had been there had come when he had heard the voice
of one, of the deputies, calling to him. And then all he had seen was a
shadowy figure that had leaped and struck. After that there had been some
shooting. And then the men had escaped.

"No one spoke?"

"Not a word," said the Judge. "That is, of course, no one but the man who
called to me."

"Did they take anything?"

"Wha