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Again he paced the long sitting-roorew faular state of affairs Twice the pale serving-woht and pleasant, and the , was ready for him But the women had disappeared Beasley seated hiht rustle--a clink of spur--startled hias, who had appeared as if by ic

Beasley's frame seemed to swell as if a flood had been loosed in his veins Sweat-drops stood out on his pallid face

"What--you--want?" he asked, huskily

"Wal now, my boss, Miss Helen, says, seein' I am foreman heah, thet it'd be nice an' proper fer me to drop in an' eat with you--THE LAST TIME!" replied the cowboy His draas slow and cool, his tone was friendly and pleasant But his look was that of a falcon ready to drive deep its beak

Beasley's reply was loud, incoherent, hoarse

Las Vegas seated himself across from Beasley

"Eat or not, it's shore all the saan to load his plate with his left hand His right hand rested very lightly, with just the tips of his vibrating fingers on the edge of the table; and he never for the slightest fraction of a second took his piercing eyes off Beasley

"Wal, uest, it shore roils up my blood to see you sittin' there--thinkin' you've put as, softly And then he helped himself leisurely to food and drink "In ainst a lot of outlaws, thieves, rustlers, an' sich like, but fer an out an' out dirty lon skunk, you shore take the dough! I'oin, to kill you in a minit or so, jest as soon as you move one of them dirty paws of yourn But I hope you'll be polite an' let ain if you don't Of all the--yaller greaser dogs I ever seen, you're the worst! I was thinkin' last night mebbe you'd come down an' meet me like a ettin' sick to my stummick But you didn't cootta call you--when I ought to bore you, thet--I ain't even second cousin to my old self when I rode fer Chisholm It don't ! a sneakin' coyote! an' a cheat thet hires others to do his dirty work! By Gawd!--"