completed, and Frank, finding nothing to do, and being too nervous,
after the exciting events of the evening, to keep still, went out to
watch for the doctor, who, seeing that the Fort was sixteen miles from
the ranch, could not reasonably be expected before daylight. For a long
time he paced restlessly up and down the porch, his mind busy with the
three questions that had so astonished and perplexed him: What had
happened to bring his uncle home that night? How had he been so easily
overpowered by Pierre? and, What was the matter with Marmion? The longer
he pondered upon them, the more bewildered he became; and, finally
dismissing them from his mind altogether, he went out to attend to his
uncle's horse, which, all this while, had been running back and forth
between the house and barn, now and then neighing shrilly, as if
impatient at being so long neglected.

As Frank passed through the court, he picked up his rifle, which Mr.
Winters had thrown down after taking that flying shot at Pierre. The
stock felt damp in his grasp, and when he looked at his hand, he saw
that it was red with blood.

"I understand one thing now, just as well as if I had stood here and
witnessed it," said he, to himself. "When Pierre went out of my room, he
ran in here to see who it was visiting the ranch at this late hour, and
when he found that it was Uncle James, he thought he would get the safe
key. He was too much of a coward to attack him openly, and so he slipped
up and knocked him down with the butt of my rifle. That's what made the
wound on uncle's head, and that's how it came that Pierre could hold him
down with one hand. Didn't I know all the time that there was something
up? Now, if Pierre had succeeded in getting the safe key, no doubt he
would have renewed his attempts to make me tell where I had put the key
of the office. Would I have been coward enough to do it? No, sir! I