to energetic support of his plans. Moreover, he had
already "put his foot in it," had gone too far to withdraw without
discredit. Having openly insulted the absent enemy, and having clearly
revealed his intention to cheat him of this prize, to weaken now would
be to abandon forever all hope of ascendency. For an instant he
regretted what he had done, and cursed himself under his breath.
Then, taking a new grip on himself, he returned to the attack.

"Seven hundred and fifty, then!" he said with a swagger. "And it's
cash, not words."

There was a moment of suspense. The three men, who were moving slowly
away, turned in their saddles. Not a muscle quivered, not a foot
stirred in the expectant crowd. Marion felt that in another minute she
would cry out, shrieking at Seth, shrieking the warning Haig had sent
by her.

"That's good enough, for me!" declared Raley, throwing the reins over
his pony's head, and preparing painfully to dismount.

"No, Jim!" cried Smith. "Let him say a thousand, an' I'm with you.
'Tain't exactly on the square, but the's no use killin' ourselves
for--"

His speech was cut short by a shrill cry from a woman who stood on a
horse block at the outer edge of the crowd.

"Look! Look!" she called, pointing a finger toward the long white
road.

CHAPTER IV

THE HIGHEST BIDDER

Far up the road appeared a little cloud of dust with a black speck in
its center.

A murmur ran through the crowd; a name was passed from mouth to mouth;
and the men nearest Huntington began to edge away instinctively,
leaving a larger and larger space clear around him and the three
cow-punchers.

Marion too looked, and understood. She had not dismounted, but still
sat her pony within ten feet of the outlaw, at the side of the
roadway, in about the middle of which stood Huntington. With an effort
she drew her eyes away from that ominous black spot in the distance,
and turned toward Seth. A shiver ran through her body, but her cheeks
burned, and there was a voice in her ears that shouted, "Tell him he's
a fool to anger me!" For a moment she was on the point of rushing upon
Seth, and shrieking that warning into his face. But now it was too
late.

Like all the others Huntington stood for a few seconds fascinated by
that figure in the puff of dust. And for just those few seconds there
was a certain unsteadiness in his attitude, irresolution in the black
eyes beneath their bushy brows. But the blue-whiteness under