at the ranch.

"I don't see why you want to talk to me," Lorraine retorted, not in the
least frightened at the gun, which was too much like her movie West to
impress her much. But her eyes widened at the look in his face, and
she tried to edge away from him without seeming to do so.

Al stopped her by the simple method of reaching out his left hand and
catching Snake by the cheek-piece of the bridle. "You don't have to
see why," he said. "I've been thinking a lot about you lately. I've
made up my mind that I've got to have you with me--always. This is
kinda sudden, maybe, but that's the way the game runs, sometimes. Now,
I want to tell yuh one or two things that's for your own good. One is
that I'll have my way, or die getting it. Don't be scared; I won't
hurt you. But if you try to break away, I'll shoot you, that's all.
I'm going to marry you, see, first. Then I'll make love to you
afterwards. I ain't asking you if you'll marry me. You're going to do
it, or I'll kill you."

Lorraine gazed at him fascinated, too astonished to attempt any move
toward escape. Al's hand slipped from the bridle down to the reins,
and still holding Snake, still holding the gun muzzle toward her, still
looking her straight in the eyes, he threw his right leg over the
cantle of his saddle and stepped off his horse.

"Put your other hand on the saddle horn," he directed. "I ain't going
to hurt you if you're good."

He twitched his neckerchief off--Lorraine saw that it was untied, and
that he must have planned all this--and with it tied her wrists to the
saddle horn. She gave Snake a kick in the ribs, but Al checked the
horse's first start and Snake was too tired to dispute a command to
stand still. Al put up his gun, pulled a hunting knife from a little
scabbard in his boot, sliced two pairs of saddle strings from
Lorraine's saddle, calmly caught and held her foot when she tried to
kick him, pushed the foot back into the stirrup and tied it there with
one of the leather strings. Just as if he were engaged in an everyday
proceeding, he walked around Snake and tied Lorraine's right foot;
then, to prevent her from foolishly throwing herself from the horse and
getting hurt, he tied the stirrups together under the horse's belly.

"Now, if you'll be a good girl, I'll untie your hands," he said,
glancing up into her face. He freed her hands, and Lorraine
immediately slapped him in the face and reached for his gun. But Al
was