of stray-man.

"I've seen him once, down the other side of the cottonwood," the young
man had said. "He ain't saying much to anyone. Seems to be a quiet
sort--and deep. Pretty good sort though."

She was pleased over Ben's brief estimate of the stray-man. It
vindicated her judgment. Besides, it showed that her brother was not
averse to friendship with him.

Leviatt she saw with her brother often, and occasionally he came to the
cabin. His attitude toward her was one of frank admiration, but he had
received no encouragement. How could he know that he was going to be
the villain in her book--soon to be written?

Shall we take a peep into that mysterious note book? Yes, for later we
shall see much of it.

"Dave Leviatt," she had written in one place. "Age thirty-five. Tall,
slender; walks with a slight stoop. One rather gets the impression
that the stoop is a reflection of the man's nature, which seems
vindictive and suggests a low cunning. His eyes are small, deep set,
and glitter when he talks. But they are steady, and cold--almost
merciless. One's thoughts go instantly to the tiger. I shall try to
create that impression in the reader's mind."

In another place she had jotted this down: "I shouldn't want anyone
killed in my book, but if I find this to be necessary Leviatt must do
the murder. But I think it would be better to have him employ some
other person to do it for him; that would give him just the character
that would fit him best. I want to make him seem too cowardly--no, not
cowardly, because I don't think he is a coward: but too cunning--to
take chances of being caught."

Evidently she had been questioning Ben, for in another place she had
written:

"Ferguson. I must remember this--all cowboys do not carry two guns.
Ben does, because he says he is ambidextrous, shooting equally well
with either hand. But he does not tie the bottoms of his holsters
down, like Ferguson; he says some men do this, but usually they are men
who are exceptionally rapid in getting their revolvers out and that
tying down the bottoms of the holsters facilitates removing the
weapons. They are accounted to be dangerous men.

"Ben says when a man is quick to shoot out here he is called a gun-man,
and that if he carries two revolvers he is a two-gun man. Ben laughs
at me when I speak of a 'revolver'; they are known merely as 'guns' out
here. I must remember this. Ben says that though he likes Ferguson
quite