n I'll be gettin' back to the Two Diamond."

She laughed mockingly as he settled into the saddle. There was a
clatter of hoofs from around the corner of the cabin.

"Wait!" she commanded. "Ben is coming!"

But there was a rush of wind that ruffled her apron, a clatter, and she
could hear Mustard's hoofs pounding over the matted mesquite that
carpeted the clearing. Ferguson had fled.

CHAPTER X

DISAPPEARANCE OF THE ORPHAN

During the night Ferguson had dreamed dreams. A girl with fluffy brown
hair and mocking eyes had been the center of many mental pictures that
had haunted him. He had seen her seated before him, rapidly plying a
pencil. Once he imagined he had peered over her shoulder. He had seen
a sketch of a puncher, upon which she appeared to be working,
representing a man who looked very like himself. He could remember
that he had been much surprised. Did writers draw the pictures that
appeared in their books?

This puncher was sitting in a chair; one foot was bandaged. As he
watched over the girl's shoulder he saw the deft pencil forming the
outlines of another figure--a girl. As this sketch developed he saw
that it was to represent Miss Radford herself. It was a clever pencil
that the girl wielded, for the scene was strikingly real. He even
caught subtle glances from her eyes. But as he looked the scene
changed and the girl stood at the edge of the porch, her eyes mocking
him. And then to his surprise she spoke. "I am going to put you into
a book," she said.

Then he knew why she had tolerated him. He had grown hot and
embarrassed. "You ain't goin' to put me in any book, ma'am," he had
said. "You ain't givin' me a square deal. I wouldn't love no girl
that would put me into a book."

He had seen a sudden scorn in her eyes. "Love!" she said, her lips
curling. "Do you really believe that I would allow a puncher to make
love to me?"

And then the scene had changed again, and he was shooting the head off
a rattler. "I don't want you to love me!" he had declared to it. And
then while the snake writhed he saw another head growing upon it, and a
face. It was the face of Leviatt; and there was mockery in this face
also. While he looked it spoke.

"You'll nurse him so's he won't die?" it had said.

When he awakened his blood was surging with a riotous anger. The dream
was bothering him now, as he rode away from the ranchhouse toward the
gully where he had found the dead Two