Of three men on horseback who joined in the chase, one was Garnett. He had reached town about an hour before, but had not wished to put up his horse until Harry and Rob should come in. As soon as he saw them flying down the street, he rode up, and, by keeping close to the side of the buggy, helped to block the way to those behind. As Rob pulled over to the side of the street toward the land office, Garnett shouted to Harry, "Jump for the door! Jump!" Quick as thought, he reached down from his saddle, caught the girl round the waist as she leaned forward, and swung her from the buggy. He swung himself after her, and sprang up the steps to the office door just time to get between Harry and the sheepman, who reached for the doorknob at the same moment. But instead of all three piling into the room together, they merely fell against the door. For the door was locked. Trembling with exhaustion and excitement, Harry felt her hand slip as Joyce tried to push her out of the way. "No, you don't, Joyce!" Garnett said roughly, thrusting his arm in front of the sheepman. "You didn't get here first." "This is a put-up job!" began Joyce angrily. "I bet!" was Garnett's grim answer, which brought a laugh from the crowd that had gathered about the steps to see what would happen. "Let me into this office!" Joyce ordered. "The clerk didn't leave the key with me." "This isn't your affair. Get away from that door!" "Get away yourself." "Perhaps I had better go," Harry said in a low tone to Garnett. "I can come back in the morning." "Not early enough to get what you're after," said Garnett, glancing down at her. "You can hang on a while, can't you, until Rob gets back? He's gone to find out about opening this place. You don't want to have to stand here all night." "All night?" She turned a dismayed face on him. Garnett gazed into it a moment without answering. Never had he seen any girl look as Harry looked now. She was spattered with mud from hair to shoes. She had lost both hat and hairpins on that wild drive, and her brown curls lay in disorder about her neck. Her cheeks were white; even her lips were pale with excitement and weariness. But in her eyes shone the exultation of victory and on her lips was a smile. "I can stand here a week if I have to," she said. "But I hope I shan't have to." "You've got to get into this place first if you want that homestead. Here comes Rob now. Perhaps he's corralled the clerk." Rob elbowed his way through the crowd that was pressing up to stare at Harry. "No use," he said. "The office won't be opened until nine o'clock to-morrow morning. I saw the clerk just as he was leaving town to go to a wedding, and wild horses couldn't have held him. Are you onto your job, sis?" "I guess so. Listen. What is he saying?" Joyce had retreated to the sidewalk. He was not afraid of a fight or unused to one, but for various reasons he hesitated to try to get possession of the door by force.