him, at the top of the partition, and he thought Owen had a gun. So he
feigned strangulation, and Owen had been deceived.

And when Owen had entered the pantry, Dale still continued to feign
strangulation, letting his body sag, and causing a real pressure on his
neck. He dared not open his eyes to see if Owen had a weapon, for then
the little man, having a gun, would have quickly finished the work
that, seemingly, the rope had begun.

Dale might have drawn his own gun, taking a long chance of hitting
Owen, but he was at a great disadvantage because of the condition of
his hands, and he decided not to.

Dale heard Owen and Mary go out; he heard the clatter of hoofs as they
rode away. Then he emerged from the pantry, and through a window
watched the two as they rode down the slope of the basin.

Then Dale yielded to the bitter disappointment that oppressed him, and
cursed profanely, going from room to room and vengefully kicking things
out of his way while bandaging his smashed hands.

In the parlor he overturned the lounge and almost kicked it to pieces
searching for the money Mary had told him was concealed there.

"The damned hussy!" he raged, when he realized that the money was not
in the lounge.

He went out, got on his horse, and rode across the level back of the
house, and up the slope leading to the mesa, where he had seen
Sanderson riding earlier in the day.