She had looked about her with appraising eye; had reflected also. All about, in every token, she saw evidences of lapse, of retrogression, of decay, indeed of poverty rapidly running to seed. The lack of a strong hand was not to be denied. Moreover, the conditions of this property were reflected all over a state, where not even the strongest hand or the clearest mind had been able to achieve solution. It was the hour of travail for a great, unknown, forgotten country. Taisie Lockhart might have known that the travail of a country is only the multiple of many individual pains. She looked now at her faithful henchman, silent for a time. “Now, ma’am——” “Yes, Jim?” Nabours dropped into a chair, gripping the legs with twining spurred feet. “I was going to ast you how you liked this Gonzales man, ma’am. He’s went now.” “Were you taking a shot at him for luck, Jim? I heard a shot.” She tried to smile. “No’m. It was him. A rattler was by the gate. He shot its head off. I must say he done it quick and easy too.” “Well, he can ride.” “Uh-huh—and shoot. Yes, I reckon. Fact is, he’s got a reputation now, for a young man. He’s the youngest sher’f in Texas, like enough. He’s only in six months, and in that time his county has done shrunk more’n a thousand population. He ain’t killed that many, ma’am—no; but he has done killed four or five, and them bad. Then when the Rangers was pulled together again and him put in as a captain, a good many of them people taken the hint and moved. It was time. Down there and in Uvalde there was plenty of men that didn’t own a head or a acre, who’d agree to put you up a herd of five thousand head on a month’s notice. “I tell you, ma’am, the times is bad. The cow business in this state is in one hell of a fix. . . . Well, it takes good shooting to be a sher’f, let alone a Ranger.” “Four? Four men? He killed them?” A sort of horror was in her voice, her eyes. “In duty, ma’am. It don’t hardly count.” “He did not look—like that!” “Huh! He didn’t? Well, I’d say he did! When he put on his guns they was two, and he wore his right-hand gun pointing back and his left-hand one pointing forward. I never seen no man do that before. If that don’t look perfessional killer I ain’t no jedge. Now, which gun he done use to kill the rattler I never could tell. “He makes me study, ma’am. His eye is cold as ice. He don’t talk and he don’t laugh. He’s got something on his mind. Somehow——” “You’d trust him, Jim?” “Ef he was on my side. But how in hell can you tell by looking at him whose side he is on?” “Four men! Yes”—her voice trailed off—“I thought he was—well, cold. He never did—start.” “No; and most does, Miss Taisie. And you that was dressed up your best for him; and him a stranger you hadn’t saw sence he was a boy, and hadn’t spoke to now till he come in and seen you. And he didn’t start!