from the quiet steadiness with which the other's gaze met him. He handed
the glasses to Healy. When the latter lowered them his face was grave.
"There's a man and a fire and a cow and a calf. When these four things
meet up together, what does it mean?"

"Branding!" cried the girl.

"That's right--branding. And when the cow is dead what does it mean?"
Brill asked, his eyes full on Phil.

"Rustling!" she breathed again.

"You've said it, Phyl. We've got one of them at last," he cried
jubilantly.

Phil, hanging between doubt and suspicion and shame, brightened at the
enthusiasm of the other.

"Right you are, Brill. We'll solve this mystery once for all."

Healy, unstrapping the case in which lay his rifle, shot a question at
the boy. "Armed, Phil?"

The lad nodded. "I brought my six-gun for rattlesnakes."

"Are you going to--to----" cried Phyllis, the color gone from her face.

"We're going to capture him alive if we can, Phyl. You're to wait right
here till we come back. You may hear shooting. Don't let that worry you.
We've got the drop on him, or will have. Nobody is going to get hurt if