New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1918-03-22

would be found before the ScabS ha,
haired over, 1t was Il good time 70
ruNiling. lioundups were over for tn
winter, and the weather would contin
range riding to absolute necessity.
OF course the work was coarse-s'
course as TO reflect against his intelll
e"lirc- but when brands are wOrke,
over and the culprit has been caugh
the law is not too careful to give tn,
prisoner credit for brains.
Ward stared at the altered brand
and wondered what he had best do
He brtllought him that perhaps |
would be AS well to put IA little srener!
between himself and that particulaI
locality, and he started back up tn,
hill. once he pulled up as If he would
e" back, but he thought better of ii
1t was out Of the question to turn
those cattle loose. lie could not xii
them aud dispose of the lodieS, not
when there were seven of them. liz
might 20 down and blotch the brand,
50 that they would not read anything
AT all. He had thought of that befor,
ana decided against it. That would
put those three on their guard and
would probably not benefit him in tn,
long run, They would work the brands
on other cattle.
He hunchcd forward in the saddle
and let Rather choose his own trail
up the hill. Though he did not know
it, trouble had caught Billy Louise in
mat same place and had sent her for
ward with dropping shoulders and II
mind 50 absorbed that she gave no at
trntion to her horse. But that is mere.
~ n tritling coincidence. The thing he
had to decide was far more compli-
Gated than Lilly Louise's problem.
Should he 80 straight to Seabeck and
tell him what he had found out: He
did not know Seabcck, except as he
had met him once or twice on the trail
and exchanged trivial greetings and a
few words about the weather. Besides.
Seabeck would very soon find out
There it stood at his shoulder. grin
ming at him malevolently his past. 1t
tied his hands. Buck Olney he could
deal with single handed, for Olney had
the fear Of him that is born of a
guilty conscience. He could send Buck
over the road" whenever he chose to
tell some things he knew. He could do
it without any compunctions too. Buck
Olney, the stock inspector. deserved no
mercy at Wards hands and would get
none if ever they met where Ward
would have a chance at him.
Olney he could deal with alone, but
with the evidence of those rebrandeI
and the testimony of two men,
together with the damnins testimony
OF his past. Ward lifted his head and
stared heavily at the pine slope before
him. He could not 90 to Seabeck and
tell him anything. In the black hour
of that ride he could not think of any
thing that he could do that would
save him.
And then quite suddenly in his des-
peration he decided upon something.
laughed hardly, turned Rather back
from the hOmeward trail and returned
to the corral in the canyon. They
this game, and they've put 1t
up to me-" he told himself grimly.
and they needn't sqneal if they burn
their own fingers"
lie hurried. for he had some work
ahead Of him. and the sun was sliding
past the o mark already. He reach
ed the corral and went about what he
had to do AS if he were working for
and wanted to give good meas
IRE.
First he rebuilt the little fire lust
the corral where the cattle
'ould not trample it. but where one
might thrust a branding iron into its
midst from between the rails. When
{ WAS going properly he searched GER
ain likely hiding places and found an
ron still warm from previous service.
H. thrust it into heat, led RATHER into
he corral and closed the gate securely
him. Then he mounted. took
his rope and widened the loop.
his angry eyes singled out the
lnimal he wanted first.
Ward was not an adept with a run
ling iron" He was honest, whatever
ncn might say Of him. But he knew
now to tie down an animal, and he
arriticcd part of his lariat to get the
hort rope he needed to tie their feet
ogcther. He worked fast-no telling
What minute some II might come and
atch him-and he did his work well.
ar better and heater than had his
predecessors.
When he left that corral he smiled.
he had ridden very far up the
luff he stopped. looked down at the
Dng suffering cattle and smiled again
ardonically. One could read their
rands easily from where he sat on his
orsc. They were not blotched; they
'ere very distinct. But they were not
'Gs within that corral. There were
Their brands which might be made of
Y6 monogram by the judicious ad-
ition of a mark here and a mark
lere.
There, hang yuh. chew on that
he apostrophized the absent
lree. He turned away and rode back
nee more toward home.
RATHER turned naturally into the trail
hich ran up the creek to the ranch,
ut Ward Immediately turned him out
it. I'VE aren't going to overlook
ny bets. old timer" he said grimly
nd crossed the creek at a point where
was too rocky to leave any hoof
behind them. He rode up the
wer point of the ridge beyond and
flowed the crest of it on the side ,
way from the valley. When he reach :
a point nearly opposite his cabin he :
smounted. unbuckled his spurs and '