I suppose you wouldn't mind giving me a sample of your style of arbitrating with him, before you try it on me ?" "Certainly not," said Stacey, by no means displeased at the prospect of having so pretty and intelligent a witness in the daughter of what he believed would form an attractive display of his diplomatic skill and graciousness to the father.

"Don't go away.

I've got nothing to say Miss Cressy could not understand and answer." The jingling of spurs, and the shadow of McKinstry and his shot-gun falling at this moment between the speaker and Cressy, spared her the necessity of a reply.

McKinstry cast an uneasy glance around the apartment, and not seeing Mrs.McKinstry looked relieved, and even the deep traces of the loss of a valuable steer that morning partly faded from his Indian-red complexion.

He placed his shot-gun carefully in the corner, took his soft felt hat from his head, folded it and put it in one of the capacious pockets of his jacket, turned to his daughter, and laying his maimed hand familiarly on her shoulder, said gravely, without looking at Stacey, "What might the stranger be wantin', Cress ?" "Perhaps I'd better answer that myself," said Stacey briskly.