r and Cressy, spared her
the necessity of a reply. McKinstry cast an uneasy glance around the
apartment, and not seeing Mrs. McKinstry looked relieved, and even the
deep traces of the loss of a valuable steer that morning partly faded
from his Indian-red complexion. He placed his shot-gun carefully in the
corner, took his soft felt hat from his head, folded it and put it in
one of the capacious pockets of his jacket, turned to his daughter, and
laying his maimed hand familiarly on her shoulder, said gravely, without
looking at Stacey, "What might the stranger be wantin', Cress?"

"Perhaps I'd better answer that myself," said Stacey briskly. "I'm
acting for Benham and Co., of San Francisco, who have bought the Spanish
title to part of this property. I"--

"Stop there!" said McKinstry, in a voice dull but distinct. He took his
hat from his pocket, put it on, walked to the corner and took up his
gun, looked at Stacey for the first time with narcotic eyes that
seemed to drowsily absorb his slight figure, then put the gun back half
contemptuously, and with a wave of his hand towards the door, said:
"We'll settle this yer outside. Cress, you stop in here. There's man's
talk goin' on."

"But, Paw," said Cressy, laying her hand languidly on her father's
sleeve without the least change of color or amused expression. "This
gentleman has come over here on a compromise."

"On a--WHICH?" said McKinstry, glancing scornfully out of the door for
some rare species of mustang vaguely suggested to him in that unfamiliar
word.

"To see if we couldn't come to some fair settlement," said Stacey. "I've
no objection to going outside with you, but I think we can discuss this
matter here just as well." His fine feathers had not made him a
coward, although his heart had beaten a little faster at this sudden
recollection of the dangerous reputation of his host.

"Go on," said McKinstry.

"The plain facts of the case are these," continued Stacey, with more
confidence. "We have sold a strip of this property covering the land in
dispute between you and Harrison. We are bound to put our purchaser
in peaceable possession. Now to save time we are willing to buy that
possession of any man who can give it. We are told that you can."

"Well, considerin' that for the last four years I've been fightin' night
and day agin them low-down Harrisons for it, I reckon you've been lied
to," said McKinstry deliberately. "Why--except the clearing on the north