ith in him," she declared, with a slight, biting
emphasis. "I believe in him--absolutely."

She saw his lips twitch. "Sure," he sneered, "you was just beginnin'
to believe in him that day when you was holdin' hands with him--just
about here. I reckon he was enjoyin' himself."

She started, but smiled immediately. "So you saw that?" she inquired,
knowing that he had, but taking a keen delight in seeing that he still
remembered. But this conversation was becoming too personal; she had
no desire to argue this point with him, even to get an impression of
the depth of his passion, so she gathered up her belongings and
prepared to depart. But he stepped deliberately in front of her,
barring the way of escape. His face was aflame with passion.

"I seen him holdin' your hand," he said, his voice trembling; "I seen
that he was holdin' it longer than he had any right. An' I seen you
pull your hand away when you thought I was lookin' at you. I reckon
you've taken a shine to him; he's the kind that the women like--with
his slick ways an' smooth palaver--an' his love makin'." He laughed
with his lips only, his eyes narrowed to glittering pin points. She
had not thought that jealousy could make a person half so repulsive.

"If you're lovin' him," he continued, leaning toward her, his muscles
tense, his lips quivering with a passion that he was no longer able to
repress, "I'm tellin' you that you're wastin' your time. You wouldn't
think so much of him if you knowed that he come here----"

Leviatt had become aware that Miss Radford was not listening; that she
was no longer looking at him, but at something behind him. At the
instant he became aware of this he turned sharply in his tracks, his
right hand falling swiftly to his holster. Not over half a dozen paces
distant stood Ben Radford, gravely watching.

"Mebbe you folks are rehearsing a scene from that story," he observed
quietly. "I wasn't intending to interrupt, but I heard loud talking
and I thought mebbe it wasn't anything private. So I just got off my
horse and climbed up here, to satisfy my curiosity."

Leviatt's hand fell away from the holster, a guilty grin overspreading
his face. "I reckon we wasn't rehearsin' any scene," he said, trying
to make the words come easily. "I was just tellin' your sister
that----"

Miss Radford laughed banteringly. "You have spoiled a chapter in my
book, Ben," she declared with pretended annoyance; "Mr. Leviatt had
j