"Dad!" exclaimed the girl, stepping to her father. "Dad!"

"You go in the house, Nellie! We'll settle this."

Corliss dismounted and strode up to Loring. "If you weren't an old man
I'd give you the licking of your life! I've offered to settle with you
and I've apologized. You don't belong in a white man's country."

"I got a pup that barks jest like that--and he's afraid of his own
bark," said Loring.

"Have it your way. I'm through." And Corliss stepped to his horse.

"Well, I ain't!" cried Loring. "I'm jest startin' in! You better
crawl your cayuse and eat the wind for home, Mr. Concho Jack! And
lemme tell you this: they's twenty thousand head of my sheep goin' to
cross the Concho, and the first puncher that runs any of my sheep is
goin' to finish in smoke!"

"All right, Loring. Glad you put me on to your scheme. I don't want
trouble with you, but if you're set on having trouble, you can find it."

The old man straightened and shook his fist at the rancher. "Fust time
you ever talked like a man in your life. Nex' thing is to see if you
got sand enough to back it up. There's the gate."

Corliss mounted and wheeled his horse. The girl, who stood beside her
father, started forward as though to speak to the rancher. Loring
seized her arm. Her face flamed and she turned on her father. "Dad!