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Updated: June 22, 2025
Ben Nyland had driven the Double A cattle over to their own range, and so far as he was concerned the incident with Dale was closed. But, Peggy told Mary, Ben was bitterly resentful, and had sworn that if Dale bothered Peggy any more he would kill him. Mary, however, was not greatly interested in Peggy's recital.
Fifteen minutes later, white and scared, he was sitting in a coach, cringing far back into one of the seats, cursing, for it seemed to him that the train would never start. Dale did not miss Ben Nyland by more than a few hundred yards as he passed through the neck of the basin.
And the crash of his own gun followed the other so closely that the two seemed almost instantaneous. Nyland did not conclude his acrobatic performance with the dive. Landing on the ground he rolled over and over, scrambling toward the wall of the cabin reaching it on all fours and crouching there, gun in hand waiting. He had heard no sound from the man, nor did the latter appear.
"Don't you see the hideous humor of that? He knows Peggy Nyland and I are friends. Dale is ruthless and subtle. Can't you understand how a man of that type would enjoy seeing me send my friend's brother to his death and the brother innocent?" "Why didn't you tell Dale the cattle did not belong to you?" Mary smiled faintly. "I couldn't. To do so would have involved Ben Nyland in more trouble.
"Don't!" he said, "for God's sake, don't! You'll break me apart! It's my back it's broke. I've felt you workin' around me for hours. But it won't do any good I'm done. I can feel myself goin'." Sanderson laid him down again and knelt beside him. "You're Sanderson," said Dale, after a time. "I thought it was Nyland chasin' me for a while.
"An' if you go to gettin' mixed up with the Double A or the Nyland ranch you'll get it plenty!" Dale grinned, hideously. Then he kicked his horse in the ribs and rode away. Mary Bransford had not moved from her position on the porch. Sanderson watched Dale ride away, then he smiled at Mary and entered the house. Mary followed him.
With his hands resting idly on his hips he watched Dale and the men ride away. Then he shook hands mechanically with Nyland, permitted Peggy to kiss him which she did fervently, and led her brother away. Then Sanderson turned, to see Mary smiling and blushing, not more than two or three feet distant. He stood still, and she stepped slowly toward him, the blush on her face deepening.
Dale's thoughts, because of the sensuous longing with which he had always looked upon Peggy Nyland, had become abysmal. Silverthorn had warned him that the dragging of a woman into the plot would be fatal to their aims, but Dale had paid no heed to Silverthorn. During the day he had kept thinking of the girl until now he could no longer restrain himself.
He could gain entrance to the house through one of the windows or the front door, thereby running the risk of making a target of himself, or he could stay on the outside and wait for the man to come out which he would have to do some time. Nyland decided to remain where he was. For a long time he crouched against the wall and nothing happened.
"I want to tell you that I ain't the man you take me to be. I'm " "Yes, you are," she insisted, smiling and placing her hands on his shoulders. "You are a real man. I'll wager Dale thinks so; and Peggy Nyland, and Ben. Now, wait!" she added as he tried to speak. "I want to tell you something. Do you know what would have happened if you had not got here today?
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