But another thought occurred to her, for she looked towards the bar-room
and put them down again. She glanced out of the window and saw that her
father and Pierre had gone to lessen the volume of gas which was feeding
the flame. This, she knew, meant that her father would go to bed when he
came back to the house; and this suited her purpose. She waited till
they had entered the bar-room again, and then she went to them, and said:
"I guess he's asleep for all night. Best leave him where he is. I'm
going. Good-night."

When she got back to the sitting-room she said to herself: "How old
father's looking! He seems broken up to-day. He isn't what he used to
be." She turned once more to look at Sergeant Tom, then she went to her
room.

A little later Peter Galbraith and Pretty Pierre went to the sitting-
room, and the old man drew from the Sergeant's pocket the envelope which
Jen had seen. Pierre took it from him. "No, Pete Galbraith. Do not be
a fool. Suppose you steal that paper. Sergeant Tom will miss it. He
will understand. He will guess about the drug, then you will be in
trouble. Val will be safe now. This Rider of the Plains will sleep long
enough for that. There, I put the paper back. He sleeps like a log. No
one can suspect the drug, and it is all as we like. No, we will not
steal; that is wrong--quite wrong"--here Pretty Pierre showed his teeth.
"We will go to bed. Come!"

Jen heard them ascend the stairs. She waited a half-hour, then she stole
into Val's bedroom, and when she emerged again she had a bundle of
clothes across her arm. A few minutes more and she walked into the
sitting-room dressed in Val's clothes, and with her hair closely wound on
the top of her head.