xious as he gazed. At last he rose, and re-entered the
cabin. His eyes fell upon the faint chalk-mark, and, taking his soft
felt hat from his head, with a few practical sweeps of the brim he
brushed away the ominous record of their late estrangement. Going to the
bed whereon Rand lay stretched, open-eyed, he would have laid his hand
upon his arm lightly; but the brother's fingers sought and clasped his
own. "Get up," he said quietly; "there's a strange fire in the Canyon
head that I can't make out."

Rand slowly clambered from his shelf, and hand in hand the brothers
stood upon the ledge. "It's a right smart chance beyond the Ferry, and a
piece beyond the Mill, too," said Rand, shading his eyes with his hand,
from force of habit. "It's in the woods where--" He would have added
where he met Mornie; but it was a point of honor with the twins, after
reconciliation, not to allude to any topic of their recent disagreement.

Ruth dropped his brother's hand. "It doesn't smell like the woods," he
said slowly.

"Smell!" repeated Rand incredulously. "Why, it's twenty miles in a
bee-line yonder. Smell, indeed!"

Ruth was silent, but presently fell to listening again with his former
abstraction. "You don't hear anything, do you?" he asked after a pause.

"It's blowin' in the pines on the river," said Rand shortly.

"You don't hear anything else?"

"No."

"Nothing like--like--like--"

Rand, who had been listening with an intensity that distorted the left
side of his face, interrupted him impatiently.

"Like what?"

"Like a woman sobbin'?"

"Ruth," said Rand, suddenly looking up in his brother's face, "what's
gone of you?"

Ruth laughed. "The fire's out," he said, abruptly re-entering the cabin.
"I'm goin' to turn in."

Rand, following his brother half reproachfully, saw him divest himself
of his clothing, and roll himself in the blankets of his bed.

"Good-night, Randy!"

Rand hesitated. He would have liked to ask his brother another question;
but there was clearly nothing to be done but follow his example.

"Good-night, Ruthy!" he said, and put out the light. As he did so, the
glow in the eastern horizon faded, too, and darkness seemed to well up
from the depths below, and, flowing in the open door, wrapped them in
deeper slumber.

CHAPTER II.

THE CLOUDS GATHER.

Twelve months had elapsed since the quarrel and reconciliation, during
which interval no reference was made by either of the brothers to