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Venters went his ith busy, gloo to reckon those brooding in the night His thoughts overwhelrove dwelt a woripping a gun stealthily as an Indian, a man without place or people or purpose Above her hovered the shadow of griiven ave her people, and likewise to those unfortunates whoht of all women--freedom; to love and to live as her heart willed And yet prayer and her hope were vain

"For years I've seen a store of Cottonwoods," muttered Venters, as he strode on "Soon it'll burst I don't like the prospects" That night the villagers whispered in the street--and night-riding rustlers muffled horses--and Tull was at work in secret--and out there in the sage hid aterrible--Lassiter!

Venters passed the black cottonwoods, and, entering the sage, cliradual slope He kept his direction in line with a western star From time to time he stopped to listen and heard only the usual fae Presently a low juht, and, turning that way, he whistled softly

Out of the rocks glided a dog that leaped and whined about hi his way carefully, and then went down Here it was darker, and sheltered fro, and this one was asleep, curled up between a saddle and a pack The ani Venters placed the saddle for a pillow, rolled in his blankets, with his face upward to the stars The white dog snuggled close to hiround and there crouched on guard And in that wild covert Venters shut his eyes under the great white stars and intense vaulted blue, bitterly co their loneliness to his own, and fell asleep

When he awoke, day had dawned and all about hi, he greeted the fawning dogs and stretched his crae sticks, he lighted a fire Strips of dried beef held to the blaze for a s He drank frorown used to a scant fire Then he sat over the fire, pal had been his chief occupation for months, and he scarcely knehat he waited for unless it was the passing of the hours But now he sensed action in the i with Lassiter and Lane, perhaps news of the rustlers; on the morrow he meant to take the trail to Deception Pass