Produced by Al Haines [Frontispiece: The resemblance . . . transformed itself slowly into the breath-cutting reality, and I was staring up . . . into the face of Cummings.] BRANDED BY FRANCIS LYNDE AUTHOR OF THE TAMING OF RED BUTTE WESTERN, THE CITY OF NUMBERED DAYS, ETC. FRONTISPIECE BY ARTHUR E. BECHER GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS ---------- NEW YORK COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS Published April, 1918 Reprinted April, 1918 To the one who, more clearly than any other, can best understand and appreciate the motive for its writing, this book is affectionately inscribed by THE AUTHOR CONTENTS CHAPTER I. THE HEATING OF THE IRON II. THE SEARING TOUCH III. IN THE NAME OF THE LAW IV. SCARS V. THE DOWNWARD PATH VI. A GOOD SAMARITAN VII. THE PLUNGE VIII. WESTWARD IX. THE CUP OF TREMBLING X. THE PLAIN-CLOTHES MAN XI. NUMBER 3126 XII. A CAST FOR FORTUNE XIII. FOR THE SINEWS OF WAR XIV. PAPER WALLS XV. THE BROKEN WAGON XVI. IN THE OPEN XVII. ALADDIN'S LAMP XVIII. "THE WOMAN . . . WHOSE HANDS ARE AS BANDS" XIX. A RECKONING AND A HOLD-UP XX. BROKEN FAITH XXI. THE END OF A HONEYMOON XXII. A WOMAN'S LOVE XXIII. SKIES OF BRASS XXIV. RESTORATION XXV. THE MOUNTAIN'S TOP BRANDED I The Heating of the Iron It was not until the evening when old John Runnels, who had been the town marshal in my school days, and was now chief of police under the new city charter, came into the dingy little private banking room to arrest me that I began to realize, though only in a sort of dumb and dazed fashion, how much my promise to Agatha Geddis might be going to cost me. But even if the full meaning of the promise had been grasped at the time when my word was given, it is an open question if the earlier recognition of the possible consequences would have made any difference. Before we go any farther, let it be clearly understood that there was no sentiment involved; at least, no sentimental sentiment. Years before, I, like most of the other town boys of my age, had taken my turn as Agatha's fetcher and carrier; but that was only a passing spasm--a gust of the calf-love which stirs up momentary whirlwinds in youthful hearts. The real reason for the promise-making lay deeper. Abel Geddis had been crabbedly kind to me, helping me through my final year in the High School after my father died, and taking me into his private bank the week after I was graduated. And Agatha was Abel Geddis's daughter.