greatly to discover this morning that a diabolical circumstance over
which he had no control and which he had not remotely taken into
consideration should have arisen to embarrass and distress him and,
perchance, plunge him into litigation. Mrs. Parker, having possessed
herself of some fancy work, took a seat beside him, and, for the space
of several minutes, stitched on, her thoughts, like her husband's,
evidently bent upon the affairs of Miguel Farrel.

"Who is this gory creature Pablo just brought in?" she demanded,
finally.

"His name is André Loustalot, Kate, and he is a sheep-man from the San
Carpojo country--a Basque, I believe. He hasn't a particularly good
reputation in San Marcos County, but he's one of the biggest sheepmen
in the state and a heavy depositor in the bank at El Toro. He was one
of the reasons that moved me to buy the Farrel mortgage from the bank."

"Explain the reason, John."

"Well, I figured that eventually I would have to foreclose on old Don
Miguel Farrel, and it would require approximately two years after that
before my irrigation system would be completed and the valley lands
ready for colonization. I was tolerably certain I would never restock
the range with cattle, and I knew Loustalot would buy several thousand
young sheep and run them on the Palomar, provided I leased the
grazing-privilege to him for two years at a reasonable figure. I was
here, under authority of a court order, to conserve the estate from
waste, and my attorney assured me that, under that order, I had
authority to use my own judgment in the administration of the estate,
following the order of foreclosure. Now young Farrel shows up alive,