“He’s a good man gone bad.  But I’ll say this for Shorty.  He’s some man.  He’ll do to ride the river with.”

“Yes.”

“At the fire he was the best fighter in my gang—­saved one of the boys at the risk of his own life.  Shorty’s no quitter.”

She shut her teeth on a little wave of emotion.  Then, “I’m awful sorry for him,” she said.

He nodded appreciation of her feeling.  “I know, but you don’t need to worry any.  He’ll not worry about himself.  He’s sufficient, and he’ll get along.”

They put their horses to the trail again.

Crawford met them some miles nearer town.  He had been unable to wait for their arrival.  Neither he nor the children could restrain their emotion at sight of each other.  Dave felt they might like to be alone and he left the party, to ride across to the tendejon with Bonita’s bulldog revolver.

That young woman met him in front of the house.  She was eager for news.  Sanders told her what had taken place.  They spoke in her tongue.

“And Juan—­is it all right about him?” she asked.

“Juan has wiped the slate clean.  Mr. Crawford wants to know when Bonita is to be married.  He has a wedding present for her.”

She was all happy smiles when he left her.

Late that afternoon Bob Hart reached town.  He and Dave were alone in the Jackpot offices when the latter forced himself to open a subject that had always been closed between them.  Sanders came to it reluctantly.  No man had ever found a truer friend than he in Bob Hart.  The thing he was going to do seemed almost like a stab in the back.

“How about you and Joyce, Bob?” he asked abruptly.

The eyes of the two met and held.  “What about us, Dave?”

“It’s like this,” Sanders said, flushed and embarrassed.  “You were here first.  You’re entitled to first chance.  I meant to keep out of it, but things have come up in spite of me.  I want to do whatever seems right to you.  My idea is to go away till—­till you’ve settled how you stand with her.  Is that fair?”

Bob smiled, ruefully.  “Fair enough, old-timer.  But no need of it.  I never had a chance with Joyce, not a dead man’s look-in.  Found that out before ever you came home.  The field’s clear far as I’m concerned.  Hop to it an’ try yore luck.”

Dave took his advice, within the hour.  He found Joyce at home in the kitchen.  She was making pies energetically.  The sleeves of her dress were rolled up to the elbows and there was a dab of flour on her temple where she had brushed back a rebellious wisp of hair.

She blushed prettily at sight of her caller.  “I didn’t know it was you when I called to come in.  Thought it was Keith playing a trick on me.”

Both of them were embarrassed.  She did not know what to do with him in the kitchen and he did not know what to do with himself.  The girl was acutely conscious that yesterday she had flung herself into his arms without shame.