His neck corded with a sudden rush of blood and his eyes changed to blue fire.
"The hell he did!" he ejaculated, in furious amaze.
Jean gauged the brooding, rankling hurt of this old cattleman by his sudden break from the cool, easy Texan manner.

Blaisdell cursed under his breath, swung his arms violently, as if to throw a last doubt or hope aside, and then relapsed to his former state.

He laid a brown hand on Jean's knee.
"Two years ago I called the cards," he said, quietly.

"It means a Grass Valley war." Not until late that afternoon did Jean's father broach the subject uppermost in his mind.

Then at an opportune moment he drew Jean away into the cedars out of sight.
"Son, I shore hate to make your home-comin' unhappy," he said, with evidence of agitation, "but so help me God I have to do it!" "Dad, you called me Prodigal, an' I reckon you were right.