th ago David Lannarck had traveled this same road. Then
he was amazed at the shifting changes, the glory of its loneliness,
and the utter absence of the curious and gawking. In his decade of
travel he never encountered the land of his dreams, the wide open
spaces that reached from here to the horizon and free of human beings.
His business led him to the congested spots on the earth. If and when
he traveled with a circus he spent his spare hours in the animal tent.
Here he was not taunted with verbal gibes. Maybe this was his reason
for liking animals. Always, he dreamed of the day when he could own
dogs, horses, or any living thing that didn't smirk or titter.

And now, on this fine October afternoon, all past hopes and dreams had
come true; his foot was in the doorway to an earthly heaven. He was
the owner of a ranch (maybe Ralph Gaynor would condemn the investment)
and it had length and breadth and the desirable loneliness. He was the
owner of a grand little horse (maybe Jess and the gang of the circus
would scorn his size and color). He was the sole owner of a herd of
cattle (surely the experts and maybe the general public would classify
them as scrubs and yellow-hammers) and best of all, he had acquired a
few understanding friends, true and loyal. During the time of the long
trip back to their horses he was in deep thought. His meditations did
not concern finances, nor that other pressing question: when will this
depression end? Truly he was trying to muster arguments and reasons
whereby he could persuade his mentor to move the scrub yearlings, now
quartered at the Cliffs, up to the stables and corrals with the rest
of the cattle.

For this midget, David Lannarck, was very human. Possessed of an alert
and active mind, he had, throughout adulthood, ever been classified as
a child. He would use his recent accomplishments and present status to
frustrate that persistent impression. Secretly but in all details he
planned the coup.

First, he would persuade Landy to round up those yearlings in a group
with the rest of the cattle; second, on the basis that a general
picture of the enterprise was sorely needed to bolster his financial
standing, he would have a photographer present, taking views of all
phases of the adventure; thirdly, and most important, he, Davy, would
be astride Peaches, mingling with the several cow hands against a
background of milling cattle, either in the wide open spaces or in the
corrals at the s