l I ask of you."

He came in and closed the door. "But you see it ain't all I ask of you,
Ferne Yarnell. I always did ask all I could get of a girl as pretty as
you."

"Will you leave me, sir?"

"When I'm through."

"Now."

"No, I reckon not," he drawled between half shuttered eyes.

She moved toward the door, but he was there before her. With a turn of his
wrist he had locked it.

"This interview quits at my say-so, honey. Think after so many years of
absence-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder you're going to trample over me like I
was a kid? Guess again."

"Unlock that door," she ordered.

"When I get good and ready. We'll have our talk out first."

Her eyes blazed. She was white as paper though she faced him steadily. But
her heart wavered. She dared not call out for fear her brother might hear
and come to her assistance. This she must forestall at all costs.

A heel clicked in the alcove. For the first time Norris, or Boone as the
Southern girl had called him, became aware of a third party in the room.
Melissy was leaning out of the window. She called down to a man standing
on the street.

"Jack, come up here quick. I want you."

Boone took a step forward. "You here, 'Lissie Lee?"

She laughed scornfully. "Yes, I'm here. An unexpected pleasure, isn't
it?"

"Do you know Ferne Yarnell?" he asked, for once taken aback.

"It looks as if I do."

His quick furtive eye fell upon an envelope on the floor. He picked it up.
Upon it was written, "Miss Ferne Yarnell," and in the corner, "Introducing
Miss Lee."

A muscle twitched in his face. When he looked up there was an expression
of devilish malignity on it.

"Mr. Bellamy's handwriting, looks like." He turned to the Arizona girl.
"Then I didn't put the fellow out of business."

"No, you coward."

The angry color crept to the roots of his hair. "Better luck next time."

The door knob rattled. Someone outside was trying to get in. Those inside
the room paid no obvious attention to him. The venomous face of the
cattle detective held the women fascinated.

"When Dick Bellamy ambushed Shep he made a hell of a bad play of it. My
old mammy used to say that the Boones were born wolves. I can see where
she was right. The man that killed my brother gets his one of these days
and don't you forget it. You just stick around. We're due to shoot this
thing out, him and me," the man continued, his deep-socketed eyes burning
from the grim handsome face.

"Open the d