"Why didn't you say
something about it before. You've been claiming to be my friend."

Leviatt flushed, shifting uneasily from one foot to the other, but
watching Radford with alert and suspicious glances. "Why," he returned
shortly, "I'm range boss for the Two Diamond an' I ain't hired to tell
what I know. I reckon you'd think I was a hell of a man to be tellin'
things that I ain't got no right to tell."

"But you're telling it now," returned Radford, his eyes narrowing a
little.

"Yes," returned Leviatt quietly, "I am. An' you're callin' me a liar
for it. But I'm tellin' you to wait. Mebbe you'll tumble. I reckon
you ain't heard how Ferguson's been tellin' the boys that he went down
to your cabin one night claimin' to have been bit by a rattler, because
he wanted to get acquainted with you an' pot you some day when you
wasn't expectin' it. An' then after he'd stayed all night in your
cabin he was braggin' to the boys that he reckoned on makin' a fool of
your sister. Oh, he's some slick!" he concluded, a note of triumph in
his voice.

Radford started, his face paling a little. He had thought it strange
that an experienced plainsman--as Ferguson appeared to be--should have
been bitten by a rattler in the manner he had described. And then he
had been hanging around the----

"Mebbe you might think it's onusual for Stafford to hire a two-gun man
to look after strays," broke in Leviatt at this point. "Two-gun men
ain't takin' such jobs regular," he insinuated. "Stray-men is usual
low-down, mean, ornery cusses which ain't much good for anything else,
an' so they spend their time mopin' around, doin' work that ain't fit
for any puncher to do."

Radford had snapped himself erect, his lips straightening. He suddenly
held out a hand to Leviatt. "I'm thanking you," he said steadily.
"It's rather late for you to be telling me, but I think it's come in
time anyway. I'm watching him for a little while, and if things are as
you say----" He broke off, his voice filled with a significant
grimness. "So-long," he added.

He turned and descended the slope of the hill. An instant later
Leviatt saw him loping his pony toward the cabin. For a few minutes
Leviatt gazed after him, his eyes alight with satisfaction. Then he,
too, descended the slope of the hill and mounted his pony.

CHAPTER XVII

A BREAK IN THE STORY

Mary Radford had found the day too beautiful to remain indoors and so
directly after