They dipped into the valley road. Over the tops of the big silver spruces
he traced the outline of Sleep Mountain against the southern sky. Who but
Vance, or the dwellers in the valley, would be able to duly appreciate
such beauty? If there were any wrong in what he had done, this thought
consoled him: the ends justified the means.

Now, as they drew closer, through the branches he made out glimpses of
the dim, white front of the big house on the hill. That big, cool house
with the kingdom spilled out at its feet, the farming lands, the pastures
of the hills, and the rich forest of the upper mountains. Certainty came
to Vance Cornish. He wanted the ranch so profoundly that the thought of
losing it became impossible.



CHAPTER 6


But while he had been working at a distance, things had been going on
apace at the ranch, a progress which had now gathered such impetus that
he found himself incapable of checking it. The blow fell immediately
after dinner that same evening. Terence excused himself early to retire
to the mysteries of a new pump-gun. Elizabeth and Vance took their coffee
into the library.

The night had turned cool, with a sharp wind driving the chill through
every crack; so a few sticks were sending their flames crumbling against
the big back log. The lamp glowing in the corner was the only other
light, and when they drew their chairs close to the hearth, great tongues