miration in his smile.

"You like the prairie?" he said.

She admitted that she was pleased with what she had seen of it, and
Clavering's assumed admiration became bolder.

"Well, it's a good country, and different from the East," he said. "There
are a good many more dollars to be picked up here, and pretty women are
quite scarce. They usually get married right off to a rancher. Now I guess
you came out to better yourself. It takes quite a long time to get rich
down East."

The girl blushed again, and when she informed him that she had a crippled
sister who was a charge on the family, Clavering smiled as he drew on a
leather glove.

"You'll find you have struck the right place," he said. "Now I wonder if
you could fix a pin or something in this button shank. It's coming off,
you see."

The girl did it, and when he went out found a bill lying on the table
where he had been standing. The value of it somewhat astonished her, but
after a little deliberation she put it in her pocket.

"If he doesn't ask for it when he comes back I'll know he meant me to keep
it," she said.

VIII

THE SHERIFF

Miss Schuyler had conjectured correctly respecting the rifle-shot which
announced the arrival of a messenger; a few minutes after the puff of
white smoke on the crest of the rise had drifted away, a mounted man rode
up to Grant at a gallop. His horse was white with dust and spume, but his
spurs were red.

"Railroad district executive sent me on to let you know the Sheriff had
lost your man," he said.

"Lost him," said Grant.

"Well," said the horseman, "put it as it pleases you, but, as he had him
in the jail, it seems quite likely he let him go."

There was a growl from the teamsters who had clustered round, and Grant's
face grew stern. "He was able to hold the two homesteaders Clavering's
boys brought him."

"Oh, yes," said the other, "he has them tight enough. You'll remember one
of the cattle-boys and a storekeeper got hurt during the trouble, and our
men are not going to have much show at the trial Torrance and the Sheriff
are fixing up!"

"Then," said Grant wearily, "we'll stop that trial. You will get a fresh
horse in my stable and tell your executive I'm going to take our men out
of jail, and if it suits them to stand in they can meet us at the trail
forks, Thursday, ten at night."

The man nodded. "I'm tolerably played out, but I'll start back right now,"
he said.

He rode off towards the homes