His blue eyes met her dark, stormy ones quietly and steadily. "I'm telling you the truth. Can't you see he's been leading Phil into deviltry? You're afraid of him, afraid of his influence over the boy. That's why you knuckle down to him." "I'm not afraid. He's Phil's friend. You're against him just because he--he--" "Say it, Miss Ruth. Just because he gave me the whaling of my young life. Nothing to that, nothing a-tall. My system can absorb a licking without bearing a grudge. But he ain't on the level. 'Course you'll hate me for saying it, but some one's got to tell you." "It's none of your business. I dare say it was you that was with Phil when he--when he--got into trouble." "Yes." "I thought so." A sob swelled up in her throat. "You come here and make trouble. I do hate you if you want to know." With that she turned tempestuously and went flying back to the house. Steve smiled ruefully. He did not know much about women, but he had read somewhere that they were capable of injustice. She had plenty of spirit, anyhow, for all that she looked so demure and shy. CHAPTER VIII THE HEAVY GETS HIS TIME Threewit came to Steve while Cummings was preparing the stage set for a dissolve. "Wish you'd look over this scenario, Yeager. The old man sent it out to me to see if we can pull off the riding end of it. Scene twenty-seven is the sticker. Here's the idea: You've been thrown from your horse and your foot's caught in the stirrup. You draw your gat to shoot the bronch and it's bumped out of your hand as you're dragged over the rough ground. See? You save your life by wriggling your foot out of your boot. Can it be done without taking too many chances?" The rider considered. "I reckon it could if a fellow's boot was fixed so he could slip his foot out at the right time. I'll take a whirl at it." "There's another scene where you save Maisie by jumping from your horse to a wild steer that's pursuing her. You'll have to twist its head and throw the brute after you straddle it." "All right. When you want to pull it off?" "We can do the stirrup one to-day, before you go--if you still want to go." "Got an answer yet from Arixico?" "Just got it. Mendoza's still alive, but mighty badly hurt. I've sent the kid out to the animal farm. He'll lie low, and they won't find him there." "I'm still curious about that bunch of cattle we lost. If you can spare me I'll run down and see if old Pasquale hasn't got 'em. It ain't likely we'll ever get hide or hair of 'em, but there's one thing I'd like to find out." "Still got that notion about Harrison?" "Maybe I have. Maybe I haven't. Anyhow, folks that are blind can't see. I'll keep my notions in my own fool haid for a while." "Harrison has some friends across the line. He's going to try and fix it for the kid if they run him down." "That's fine," commented Yeager dryly. "He sure must have influential friends." "All ready, Mr. Threewit," called out Cummings.