an unlikely hypothesis, she had to admit. For why should he allow
his good name to be dragged in the dust without any effort to
save it? On a sudden impulse the girl confided her doubt to
McWilliams.

"You don't suppose there can be any mistake, do you? Somehow I
can't think him as bad as they say. He looks awfully reckless,
but one feels one could trust his face."

"Same here," agreed the new foreman. "First off when I saw him my
think was, 'I'd like to have that man backing my play when I'm
sitting in the game with Old Man Hard Luck reaching out for my
blue chips.'"

"You don't think faces lie, do you?"

"I've seen them that did, but, gen'rally speaking, tongues are a
heap likelier to get tangled with the truth. But I reckon there
ain't any doubt about Bannister. He's known over all this Western
country."

The young woman sighed. "I'm afraid you're right."



CHAPTER 5. THE DANCE AT FRASER'S

"Heard tell yet of the dance over to Fraser's?"

He was a young man of a brick red countenance and he wore loosely