All this had its effect on Dale.  He noted the restraint, he felt the atmosphere of strangeness.  But he blamed it all on the queer premonition that had taken possession of his senses.  It was not Okar that looked strange, nor the men, it was himself.

He went to the bank building and entered the rear door, clumping heavily up the stairs, for he felt a heavy depression.  When he opened the door at the top of the stairs night had come.  A kerosene lamp on a table in the room blinded him for an instant, and he stood, blinking at it.

When his eyes grew accustomed to the glare he saw Peggy Nyland sitting up in bed, looking at him.

She did not say anything, but continued to look at him.  There was wonder in her eyes, and Dale saw it.  It was wonder over Dale’s visit—­over his coming to Okar.  Ben must have missed him, for Dale was alive!  Dale could not have heard what had happened.

“You’re better, eh?” said Dale.

She merely nodded her reply, and watched Dale as he crossed the room.

Reaching a door that led into another room, Dale turned.

“Where’s Maison?”

Peggy pointed at the door on whose threshold Dale stood.

Dale entered.  What he saw in the room caused him to come out again, his face ashen.

“What’s happened?” he demanded hoarsely, stepping to the side of the bed and looking down at Peggy.

Peggy told him.  The man’s face grew gray with the great fear that clutched him, and he stepped back; then came forward again, looking keenly at the girl as though he doubted her.

“Nyland killed him—­choked him to death?” he said.

Peggy nodded silently.  The cringing fear showing in the man’s eyes appalled her.  She hated him, and he had done this thing to her, but she did not want the stigma of another killing on her brother’s name.

“Look here, Dale!” she said.  “You’d better get out of here—­and out of the country!  Okar is all stirred up over what you have done.  Sheriff Warde was in Okar and had a talk with Judge Graney.  Warde knows who killed those men at Devil’s Hole, and he is going to hang them.  You are one of them; but you won’t hang if Ben catches you.  And he is looking for you!  You’d better go—­and go fast!”

For an instant Dale stood, looking at Peggy, searching her face and probing her eyes for signs that she was lying to him.  He saw no such signs.  Turning swiftly, he ran down the stairs, out into the street, and mounting, with his horse already running, he fled toward the basin and the Bar D.

He had yielded entirely to the presentiment of evil that had tortured him all day.

All his schemes and plots for the stealing of the Double A and Nyland’s ranch were forgotten in the frenzy to escape that had taken possession of him, and he spurred his horse to its best efforts as he ran—­away from Okar; as he fled from the vengeance of those forces which his evilness had aroused.