and when he came to
the hill above the whirlpool and looked down at the empty landscape he
was still wrestling with his pride. Never in the two years of his
exile had he so much as mentioned her name to any one; it was a thing
too sacred for confidences, this love which had changed the deep
current of his life, a secret for his own soul and God--and yet, Lucy
Ware might help him!

And where in all the world would he find a more faithful friend than
Lucy Ware? A secret shared with her would be as safe as if still
locked in his own breast--and Lucy could understand. Perhaps she
understood already; perhaps--his heart stopped, and pounded against
his side--perhaps Kitty had told Lucy her story already and asked her
to intercede! He dwelt upon the thought again as he gazed dumbly about
for his employer; and then suddenly the outer world--the plain, rough,
rocks-and-cactus world that he had lived in before they came--flashed
up before him in all its uncompromising clearness; the judge was
nowhere in sight!

A sudden memory of Creede's saying that he could lose his boss any
time within half a mile of camp startled Hardy out of his dreams and
he rode swiftly forward upon the trail. At the foot of the hill the
tracks of Judge Ware's broad shoes with their nice new hob-nails stood
out like a bas-relief, pointing up the river. Not to take any chances,
Hardy followed them slavishly through the fine sand until they turned
abruptly up onto a ridge which broke off at the edge of the river
bottom. Along the summit of this they showed again, plainly, heading
north; then as the ravine swung to the west they scrambled across it
and began to zigzag, working off to the east where Black Butte loomed
up above the maze of brushy ridges like a guiding sentinel. At first
Hardy only smiled at the circuitous and aimless trail which he was
following, expecting to encounter the judge at every turn; but as the
tracks led steadily on he suddenly put spurs to his horse and plunged
recklessly up and down the sides of the brushy hogbacks in a desperate
pursuit, for the sun was sinking low. The trail grew fresher and
fresher now; dark spots where drops of sweat had fallen showed in the
dry sand of the washes; and at last, half an hour before sundown,
Hardy caught sight of his wandering employer, zealously ascending a
particularly rocky butte.

"Hello there, Judge!" he called, and then, as Judge Ware whirled
about, he inquired, with well-feigned surpri