He spoke softly as if to himself. "That's too bad. I kinder hate to
take her to jail, but I reckon I must."

She shrank back, aghast and white.

"No, no! You don't understand. I didn't mean to-- I only wanted-- Why,
I meant to pay you for the team."

"I'll understand when you tell me," he said placidly.

"I've told you. I needed the team. I was going to let you have one of
our horses and seventy-five dollars. It's all I have with me."

"One of your horses, you say? With seventy-five dollars to boot? And
you was intending to arrange the trade from behind that gun. I expect
you needed a team right bad."

His steady eyes rested on her, searched her, appraised her, while he
meditated aloud in a low easy drawl.

"Yes, you ce'tainly must need the team. Now I wonder why? Well, I'd
hate to refuse a lady anything she wants as bad as you do that." He
swiftly swooped down and caught up her revolver from the ground,
tossed it into the air so as to shift his hold from butt to barrel,
and handed it to her with a bow. "Allow me to return the pop-gun you
dropped, ma'am,"

She snatched it from him and leveled it at him so that it almost
touched his forehead. He looked at her and laughed in delighted