red him Miss Briggs felt a sudden weakness in the knees that
threatened flight on her part, but, by summoning all her will, she
managed to call back her grit.

"Ill do it if it kills me!" muttered the Overland Rider. "If I win, I
shall have the laugh on Grace Harlowe. If I lose--well we won't think
about that. Here goes. Steady, and 'con-centrate,' Elfreda Briggs!"

Miss Briggs swung the rope above her head three times to open the loop,
and, gauging her distance as well as she knew how, she let go. One side
of the loop hit Bruin on the ear.

Uttering a snarl at the interruption, the animal made a leap and
accomplished what the roper had failed to accomplish. He leaped right
into the loop with his head and one leg. His spring drew the lasso
tightly about him. He was fast, but he did not propose to be so for many
seconds. Throwing himself on his back, the bear began clawing and biting
at the hateful thing that was drawing tighter and tighter about him.

Elfreda, triumphant, now highly excited, determined to hold fast to that
which she had, twisted the free end of the rope about her arm and
grasped the tautened strand with both hands, at the same time bracing
her feet and pulling with all her might.

Bruin bounded to his feet, and for one terrible instant J. Elfreda
thought he was going to rush her. Instead, the bear whirled and, humping
himself almost into a furry ball, galloped away. His captor, with the
rope twisted about her arm, could not have freed herself in time, even
had she thought of so doing.

"Help! Oh, help!" she wailed, as her feet were jerked from under her and
she was hurled violently to the ground. "Help--p!"

The camp of the Overland Riders was in an uproar in an instant. J.
Elfreda, champion of peace, though not a pacifist, had started
something, the end of which was not yet in sight.

CHAPTER XV

WHEN EMMA SAID TOO MUCH

"Where is he?" bellowed Hippy, charging from his tent, rifle in hand.
"Elfreda!" shouted Grace, rubbing her eyes to get the sleep out of them.
She could hear the commotion, but was unable to make out the cause of
the disturbance.

In the meantime, Miss Briggs was being dragged over the ground at a rate
of speed that was neither good for her clothing nor her body. In his
blind fright, the animal charged straight into Washington Washington's
pup-tent, landing right on the colored boy. The lad threw up his arms,
and they closed about the neck of the bear.

A frightf