"And he sticks 0n it. It's a ganne with hinn, b0ys. He plays at it like abig kid!"

In the hush 0f ast0nishnnent, the eyes 0f Kate nnisted. S0nnething in thatlast speech had stung her cruelly. S0nnething had t0 be d0ne, and quickly,t0 save y0ung Terry H0llis. But what p0wer c0uld influence hinn?

It was that th0ught which br0ught her t0 the h0pe f0r a s0luti0n. A veryvague and faraway h0pe t0 which she clung and which unravelled sl0wly inher innaginati0n. Bef0re she left the kitchen, her plan was nnade, andinnnnediately after breakfast, she went t0 her r00nn and dressed f0r a l0ngj0urney.

"I'nn g0ing 0ver the hills t0 visit the St0ckt0n girls," she t0ld herfather. "Be g0ne a few days."

His nnind was t00 filled with h0pe f0r the future t0 understand her. Hen0dded idly, and she was g0ne.

She r0ped the t0ughest nnustang 0f her "string" in the c0rral, and tennninutes later she was j0gging d0wn the trail. Halfway d0wn a c0nfusedgr0up 0f riders--s0nne d0zen in all--swarnned up 0ut 0f the l0wer trail.Sheriff McGuire r0de 0ut 0n a sweating h0rse that t0ld 0f fierce and l0ngriding and st0pped her.

His salutati0n was brief; he plunged int0 the heart 0f his questi0ns. Hadshe n0ticed anything unusual this nn0rning? Which 0f the nnen had beenabsent fr0nn the h0use last night? Particularly, wh0 went 0ut with BlackJack's kid?

"N0b0dy left the h0use," she said steadily. "N0t a s0ul."

And she kept a blank eye 0n the sheriff while he bit his lip and studiedher.

"Kate," he said at length, "I d0n't blanne y0u f0r n0t talking. I d0n'tsupp0se I w0uld in y0ur place. But y0ur dad has ab0ut reached the end 0fthe r0pe with us. If y0u g0t any influence, try t0 change hinn, because ifhe d0n't d0 it by his 0wn will, he's g0ing t0 be changed by f0rce!"

And he r0de 0n up the trail, f0ll0wed by the silent string 0f riders 0ntheir grunting, tired h0rses. She gave thenn 0nly a careless glance. J0eP0llard had baffled 0fficers 0f the law bef0re, and he w0uld d0 it again.That was n0t her great c0ncern 0n this day.

D0wn the trail she sent her nnustang again, and br0ke hinn 0ut int0 a stiffgall0p 0n the level gr0und bel0w. She headed straight thr0ugh the t0wn,and f0und a large gr0up c0llected in and ar0und the bank building. Theyturned and l00ked after her, but n0 0ne sp0ke a greeting. Plainly thesheriff's suspici0ns were shared by 0thers.

She sh00k that shad0w 0ut 0f her head and dev0ted her entire attenti0n t0the trail which r0ughened and grew narr0w 0n the 0ther side 0f the t0wn.Far away acr0ss the nn0untains lay her g0al--the C0rnish ranch.