Justin Wingate, Ranchman

usly in Justin's heart and seemed not likely to pass away. It was no sickly sentiment

ned him at times; for a love that was almost a worship of all life, the lower forms equally with the higher, had been instilled by Clayton into every fibre of his being. To Justin now even the elements seemed to stir with consciousness. Did not certain chemicals exhibited by Clayton rush toget

manly gentleness, broken strangely at times by out

ontroversy with a young man of somewhat shabby appearance. The shrewd little eyes of this man observed Justin closely. Beside the fence was a dirty prairie schooner,

met one't? I reckon you don't know me? I wo

d that the man's f

there. Mebbe you'll remember me now. I've thought of you a good many times sense then. You've growed a lot. I was thinkin' about you t'other day while on my way hyer; and a fortune tell

young man now, and sh

ngular," h

r old times by and by,"

land not far from the stream, and had now come to occupy it. Trouble had arisen over the fact that it was included in a large ar

e insisted, "er I'll cut it fer ye

e of blackmail. You want me to pay you not to trouble me about the fence. But I won't do it. If I did I'd have d

on the grass spear, Sand

t me git to my land,

d intense boyish admiration, would have inclined Justin to the ranchman's s

s remarkable, he thought, that Sanders should have remembered him so long, and more remarkable that a

r. It was Ben's duty to ride the line on this particular day; but Ben had shirked, and Justin had bee

seed mouthing ab

, and wants your father to cut th

always making tro

s face

granger the other day, when I told him that hi

Ben and remain on terms of fri

urged, "for I saw our hor

ed you, if you had said they were his horses. You might have ba

andsome dog the

m. "I only wish we had some Eastern quails here. Harkness put you on this line today, d

ing of Ben, of Lucy, and of William Sanders. Ben's easy disregard of certain things h

t astonished. Sanders' truculence had made him think the man would persist in his demands; bu

If Lucy rode out, William Sanders invariably chanced to be in the trail going in the same direction. If she remained at home he came to the house to get Davison's advice as

tin with the bur

all the time, just

gh he was himself highly indignant. "I don't sup

terrified by the threat c

the line fence. He told me then that he wanted to have a talk a

on a few occasions showed a decidedly inflammable temper. Ordinarily mild in word and manner, borrowing much of that mildne

cy come out from the shadows of the young cottonwoods near Sloan Jasper's and walk in his direction, as if to join him. The sight

walked along by her side. Justin's anger burned. It was apparent to him, great as was the separating distance, that Sanders' presence and words were distasteful to her. She stopped an

t passed to ungovernable fury, when he beheld Sanders catch the screaming girl in his arms, lif

op, you

d his spurs into the flanks of his big horse, and began to ride

had made it a practice, on the advice of Clayton, never to carry; and he drove the

egan to gain in the mad race. Justin ploughed its sides mercilessly with th

"we must catch tha

, further than that he knew he would hurl himself on Sanders, te

n, almost without a backward glance. He held Lucy tightly in his arms. Apparently

ned in his saddle heavily, for the weight of the girl impeded his movements. Justin fancied he could

hell!" he b

rein caused his horse to stumb

Sanders, sprang up with a cry, and ran toward Justin. Sanders, having picked himself up uninjured

ly; "damn you, take her-I w

te; her dry hot eyes gushed with te

it bit me, here!" She thrust forward her hand. "Near the wrist, there; and-a

on of feeling. He caught the shaki

d, stammering the words. "And-and I ask your pardon!

ang to his

my horse; h

" said Justin. "That's

leaped forward. Sanders struck it a smart blow to hurry it on; and stood looking at t

ed. "I was doin' the best I could, and I would have made it all right." He

threat, died, gurg

ent, when anxiety, fright, love, chagrin, and regret, fought within him for the mastery, he did not forget some of the things learned of Clayton. He took out his handkerchief

might even then be dying. The poison of the rattlesnake had been injected near the great artery of the wrist, as she stooped in her embarrassment to pluck a flower, and it would be speedy in its malignant effects. With that terrible f

er her with wild words of inquiry. Her e

there-almost th

g the dista

embling broncho, dripping sweat and panting with labored breath from the strain of its terrible run, and saw Justin climbing heavily out of the saddle with Lucy. When her feet touched the ground she sto

me on the other side-ah, that's right! A little girl was here only the other day, from the Purgatoire, who had be

, word had gone to the ranch-house and to Jasper's. Philip Davison came, with Harkness and Pearl Newcome,

e stood in a subdued manner, holding the reins of his raw-boned hors

t directions. I don't know what you thought I was up to, but I was doin' the best I could to git that girl

it again. I see now that I was a fool. We'l

his hand in an

isdained

en I first come to this house, and some other things, but that's past. You made me l

ements of a vicious hater was shown then, and many times afterward. He did not speak to Justin again that day; and when th