Kate, when the drummer left the room, smiled sweetly upon Loudon. It was his reward for ridding her of a pest. She did not know that Loudon's prime reason for squelching the drummer was practically the same reason that impels the average man, on receiving an unpleasant surprise, to throw things at the cat. "How's Johnny Ramsay gettin' along?" inquired Loudon. "He has completely recovered," Kate replied. "He went back to the Cross-in-a-box four days ago." "That's good. I'm glad to hear it." Paying no further attention to Kate, Loudon calmly proceeded to finish his breakfast. Kate began to find the silence painful. "Why, Tom," said she, "aren't you even a little bit glad to see me?" "Why should I be glad?" parried Loudon. "You're not very polite, Tom. You--you make me feel very badly. Why, oh, why do you persist in making it so hard for me?" Kate's voice was pitched low, and there was a running sob in it. But Loudon was not in the least affected. "Last time I seen yuh," Loudon stated, deliberately, "yuh told me flat yuh never wanted to see me again. Yuh was engaged to Sam Blakely, too. I don't understand yuh a little bit." "Perhaps you will when I explain. You see, I am no longer engaged to Mr. Blakely." "Yo're lucky." "I think so myself. Under the circumstances, can't we be friends again? I didn't mean what I said, boy. Truly I didn't." Loudon was looking at Kate, but he did not see her as she sat there in her chair, her black eyes imploring. Instead, he saw her as she appeared that day in the kitchen of the Bar S, when she wiped his kiss from her mouth and ordered him to leave her. "Yo're too many for me," he said at last. "I dunno what yo're drivin' at. But if yuh want to be friends, why, I'm the last fellah in the world to be yore enemy. Yuh know I never have exactly disliked yuh, Kate. Well, I got to be weavin' along. Glad to have seen yuh, Kate. I'll see yuh later, maybe." "Of course you will, Tom. I'll be at Lil's--Mrs. Mace, you know, at the Bend. You will come and see me, won't you?" "Shore I will, an' glad to." Loudon dropped the lady's hand as if it had been a hot iron, and departed. He had no intention of going near the house of Mrs. Mace. He never wanted to see Kate Saltoun again. In the street he found Scotty nervously awaiting him. "Git yore hoss," said Scotty, "an' let's git out o' here." "What's all the hurry?" queried Loudon. "That female girl in the hotel. She'll be out in a minute, an' then yuh'll have to introduce me." "She's Kate Saltoun, Scotty." "Old Salt's daughter! It don't sound possible. An' him with a face like a grizzly. She's shorely four aces, Tom, an' as pretty as a little red wagon. But I ain't aimin' to make her acquaintance, an' yuh can gamble on that." Happily for Scotty's peace of mind he and Loudon left Rocket twenty minutes ahead of the stage.