McCray—­because Willets was the county seat—­came to the office that had formerly been Moreton’s, immediately following his election.  He was slender, tall, and unprepossessing, and instantly created a bad impression.

This news came to Ruth through her father, for she had not visited town since she had gone there to help Mrs. Lawler care for her son.  She felt that she did not dare to leave the cabin.  For one night, after her father had acted strangely, he got up suddenly and went out of the door.  And after a while, growing suspicious, she blew out the light and stepped softly outside, to see him, at a little distance from the house, talking with Singleton.

That incident had occurred shortly after Lawler had departed for the capital to assume his duties as governor.  She suspected her father had talked with Singleton since, though she had never seen them together from that time until now.

Lawler had been gone a month.  She had heard through various mediums—­mostly from cowboys from nearby ranches who occasionally passed the cabin—­that Lawler was “making good”—­in the vernacular of the cowpuncher; and “makin’ them all set up an’ take notice.”  Those terms, of course, would seem to indicate that Lawler was a good governor and that he was attracting attention by the quality of his administration.

But it seemed that more than a month had passed since Lawler had gone to the capital.  The days dragged and the weeks seemed to be aeons long.  And yet the dull monotony of the girl’s life was relieved by trips she made to the Circle L, to visit Lawler’s mother—­and by the presence of Mary Lawler, who had come home for her vacation, during the summer, and during Lawler’s absence on his speaking tour.

Ruth had heard with satisfaction that the Circle L trail herd, attended by Blackburn, Shorty, and other Circle L men, had not been molested on the trip to Red Rock.  Caldwell and the others had driven their cattle to Red Rock also—­not one of them visiting Warden to arrange for cars.  Lawler’s influence, and the spirit he had revealed in undertaking the long drive the previous season, had had its effect upon the other owners.

It seemed to Ruth that the fight between the Circle L men and the rustlers had made the latter cautious; and that even Warden had decided that discretion was necessary.  At any rate, the surface of life in Willets and the surrounding country had become smooth, no matter what forces were at work in the depths.  It appeared that the men who had fought Lawler in the past, were now careful to do nothing that would bring upon them a demonstration of his new power.

* * * * *

Gary Warden, however, was not fearful of Lawler’s official power.  In fact, he was openly contemptuous when Lawler’s name was mentioned in his presence.  Face to face with Lawler, he was afflicted with an emotion that was akin to fear, though with it was mingled the passionate hatred he had always felt for the man.