met his for an instant. Then she remembered the other girl. Something
hard as steel ran through her. She turned on her heel and left the
room.

CHAPTER XV

THE TEXAN PAYS A VISIT

From that day Fraser had a new nurse. Arlie disappeared, and her aunt
replaced her a few hours later and took charge of the patient. Steve
took her desertion as an irritable convalescent does, but he did not
let his disappointment make him unpleasant to Miss Ruth Dillon.

"I'm a chump," he told himself, with deep disgust. "Hadn't any more
sense than to go scaring off the little girl by handing out a line of
talk she ain't used to. I reckon now she's done with me proper."

He continued to improve so rapidly that within the prescribed two
weeks he was on horseback again, though still a little weak and washed
out. His first ride of any length was to the Dillon ranch. Siegfried
accompanied him, and across the Norwegian's saddle lay a very
business-like rifle.

As they were passing the mouth of a cañon, the ranger put a casual
question: "This Jack Rabbit Run, Sig?"

"Yah. More men wanted bane lost in that gulch than any place Ay knows
of."

"That so? I'm going in there to-morrow to find that man Struve," his