art themselves--usually. This one started among the
Landson stacks, so it was natural enough to suspec' Y.D. or some of his
sympathizers. Well it wasn't Y.D., an' I reckon it wasn't Zen, an' it
wasn't Transley nor Linder an' every one of the gang's accounted for
excep' Drazk. Drazk thought he was doin' a great piece of business when
he fired the Landson hay, but when the wind turned an' burned up the
whole valley Drazk sees where he can't play no hero part around here so
he loses himself for good. I gathered from Transley that Drazk had been
botherin' you a little, Zen, which is why I told you."

The girl's heart was pounding violently at this explanation. It was
logical, and would be accepted readily by those who knew Drazk. She
would not trust herself in further conversation, so she slipped away as
soon as she could and spent the day riding down by the river.

The afternoon wore on, and as the day was warm she dismounted by a ford
and sat down upon a flat rock close to the water. The rock reminded her
of the one on which she and Grant had sat that night while the thin red
lines of fire played far up and down the valley. Her ankle was paining
a little so she removed her boot and stocking and soothed it in the cool
water.

As she sat watching her reflection in the clear stream and toying with
the ripple about her foot a horseman rode quickly down through the
cottonwoods on the other side and plunged into the ford. It happened
so quickly that neither saw the other until he was well into the river.
Although she had had no dream of seeing him here, in some way she felt
no surprise. Her heart was behaving boisterously, but she sat outwardly
demure, and when he was close enough she sent a frank smile up to him.
The look on his sunburned face as he returned her greeting convinced her
that the meeting, on his part, was no less unexpected and welcome than
it was to her.

When his horse was out of the water he dismounted and walked to her with
extended hand.

"This is an unexpected pleasure," he said. "How is the ankle
progressing?"

"Well enough," she returned, "but it gets tired as the day wears on. I
am just resting a bit."

There was a moment of somewhat embarrassed silence.

"That is a good-sized rock," he suggested, at length.

"Yes, isn't it? And here in the shade, at that."

She did not invite him with words, but she gave her body a slight hitch,
as though to make room, although there was enough already. He s