What complication-loving fiend should have brought to her recollection then the vision of that pictured face which had made such an impression upon her--the face of the disinherited heir of Lant Hall? The leaven of her father's cynical philosophy almost moved her to experiment on this _corpus vili_ ready to her hand, and ascertain whether his protestations would go the length of espousing her ideas of right and wrong as regarded that particular subject. But she restrained herself in time. Very dejectedly and in silence he walked beside her as far as their ways lay together. He would fain have reopened his pleadings, but with a hurried farewell she left him before he could detain her. "Well, Chickie? Been having it out with Geoffry Plantagenet?" said her father, who, from his library window, had witnessed their parting at the divergence of the roads. "Yes; that's just what I have been doing. And--I think, dear, we oughtn't to laugh at poor Geoffry quite so much." "Oh, that's how the land lies, is it?" answered Mr Santorex, struck by the unwonted gravity which she had brought to bear upon the subject. "All right, we won't. Not that _we_ shall have much longer to laugh at anyone," he added somewhat ruefully. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. WAR WOLF IS "WANTED." "Say, Vipan. Guess we'd better draw off out o' this for a bit. There's no call for us to help do police work just now, and we can't stand looking on. There'll be hair-lifting here in a minute, I reckon." Thus Smokestack Bill to his friend and boon companion as the two lounged on the turf, a hundred yards or so from the trading store attached to the Blue Pipestone Agency. The place was alive with Indians, gathered there for the purpose of drawing the rations with which a paternal Government supplied them, contingent on their good behaviour and in consideration of their peaceably abiding on their reservation and eschewing the fiery delights of the war-path. So Uncle Sam's red nephews occupied the ground in crowds, indulging in much jollification on the strength of newly-acquired beef and flour and other commodities which should refresh and comfort both the inner and the outer man, and while the squaws were busily packing these upon their much-enduring ponies, their lords were lounging about, chatting, smoking, merry-making, and having a good time generally. Meanwhile, the trading post had been doing a brisk business. "Police work, eh?" returned Vipan, with a glance at the detachment of U.S. Cavalry, which, encamped in the neighbourhood of the store, showed no sign that any serious undertaking was in contemplation. "Who are they after nobbling?" "See here, old pard--if I didn't know you well enough to stake my life you'd never go back on a pardner, you and I wouldn't be here together to-day. If they can't claw hold of their man, it mustn't be through any meddlin' of ours." "Who is it they want?" "War Wolf." "The devil they do! They gave out a different story."