the quickened sweep of her paddle, that she knew he was looking
at her, and once, when he halted on his way home up the
mountain, she half turned in her saddle and looked across at him.
This happened again, and then she waved her bonnet at him. It was
bad enough, any Stetson seeking any Lewallen for a wife, and for
him to court young Jasper's sweetheart-it was a thought to laugh at.
But the mischief was done. The gesture thrilled him, whether it
meant defiance or good-will, and the mere deviltry of such a
courtship made him long for it at every sight of her with the river
between them. At once he began to plan how he should get near
her, but, through some freak, she had paid no further heed to him.
He saw her less often-for a week, in-deed, he had not seen her at
all till this day-and the forces that hindrance generates in an
imperious nature had been at work within him. The chance now
was one of gold, and with his life in his hand he turned into the
stream. Across, he could see something white on her shoulder-an
empty bag. It was grinding~day, and she was going to the mill-the
Lewallen mill. She stopped as he galloped up, and turned, pushing
back her bonnet with one hand; and he drew rein. But the friendly,
expectant light in her face kindled to such a blaze of anger in her
eyes that he struck his horse violently, as though the beast had
stopped of its own accord, and, cursing himself, kept on. A little
farther, he halted again. Three horsemen, armed with
Winchesters, were jogging along toward town ahead of him, and
he wheeled about sharply. The girl, climbing rapidly toward Steve
Bray-ton's cabin, was out of the way, but he was too late to reach
the ford again. Down the road two more Lewallens with guns
were in sight, and he lashed his horse into the stream where the
water was deep. Old Gabe, looking from the door of his mill, quit
laughing to himself; and under cover of the woods, the girl