for a thousand dollars, and you thought
it would be a fine joke to buy him yourself. Is that it?"

Huntington did not respond to this, but watched Haig narrowly, a
little puzzled by his manner.

"How much did he offer you?" Haig asked Larkin.

"Two thousand dollars--and then he said name our price."

Haig whistled.

"Well, I'm damned if you haven't got some sporting blood in you!" he
said, smiling at Huntington. "How much was in your roll?"

Huntington's first impulse was to tell Haig that it was none of his
business. But he was deceived by Haig's manner, having expected his
enemy to fall upon him like a thunderbolt. His surprise was shared,
indeed, by most of the men, who had expected gun-play on the jump.
Only Marion, sitting still and watchful on her pony, was not misled.
She felt that Haig was playing with Huntington, and biding his time.

Huntington's vanity completed his self-delusion.

"Four thousand, two hundred dollars" he replied boastfully, glancing
around at his neighbors.

"Whew!" uttered Haig, between pursed lips. Then to Larkin: "You were
hard pressed, weren't you? But never mind, boys, I'll do better than I
promised--and charge it up to Cousin Seth."

Another laugh flickered around the crowd. It was evident that there
was no great objection to seeing Huntington baited.

"My name's Huntington!" he snorted. "What's this damned cousin
business, anyhow?"

Haig raised his eyebrows.

"Does it annoy you?" he asked, in a tone of exaggerated politeness.

Huntington merely glared. He was one of those self-made wits who enjoy
their own jokes immensely but grumble at plucking barbed shafts out of
their own skins. He began to wish for the thunderbolt.

"But it's your own fault, you know," Haig added.

"What in hell are you talking about?" Huntington growled.

"I'm talking about your last visit to my ranch."

"My last--What do you mean, damn you!" the ranchman thundered, his
right hand moving to his belt.

There was a hurried movement among those of the crowd who, absorbed in
the dialogue, had half-consciously crept nearer. But Haig appeared to
have noticed neither Huntington's motion nor the backing away of the
spectators.

"And wouldn't it have been reckless extravagance to pay good money for
Sunnysides when you might just have come and taken him out of my
corrals?"

For a few seconds Huntington, as if he could scarce believe that he
heard aright, was speechless with amazement and rage.