A flash of triumph came into the woman’s eyes, and she turned back to her contemplation of the hills. Her husband looked down at her, shaking his head slowly. “Molly, it’s goin’ to mean —— in these hills.” “Is it?” She did not seem to mind. “They’ve drawn a dead-line now,” he said slowly, “and there has been some shootin’. They’ve sent for the outfits down in the south end, and they’ll be here tonight.” “Well, we won’t be in it,” she said flatly. “It means nothing to us.” “Don’t it?” Jack squinted hard at her, but she did not look up. “No. The law has decided that a sheep has the same right as a cow. The cattlemen of the Lo Lo do not legally own all this valley.” “Mebbe not—” Jack shook his head wearily—“but they hold it, Molly.” “Well,” she laughed shortly, scornfully, “you are not a cattleman. You’ve got nothing to fight for.” “No-o-o?” She sprang to her feet, her eyes flashing. “Well, have you?” she demanded. “Your own people have turned you down. Your own father cursed you for marrying a daughter of Eph King. You wasn’t good enough to even work for him; so he gave you this!” She flung out her arms in a gesture of contempt. “Is this worth fighting for?” Jack Hartwell bit his lip for a moment and the ghost of a smile passed his thin lips. “It ain’t worth much, is it, Molly? Still, it was worth so much that——” “That they killed the man who took possession of it,” she finished angrily. “Yeah, they killed him, Molly. Morgan was a fool. He had a chance to go away, but he would rather fight it out.” “He was a friend of my father.” “Yeah, I know it, Molly. But that has nothing to do with us.” “Did you see the sheep?” “Yeah. I went as far as the dead-line, Molly. The hills are full of sheep. They were comin’ down the draws like the gray water of a cloud-burst, spreadin’ all over the flats. As far back as yuh can see, just sheep and dust.” “Are they on Arrow range?” “On the upper edge. The punchers threw ’em back about half a mile, but I dunno.” Jack shook his head. “There’s so many of ’em.” “Dad has thirty thousand head,” she said slowly. “Or he did have that many before——” “Before yuh ran away to marry me,” finished Jack. “I went willingly, Jack.” “Oh, I know it, Molly.” He turned and threw an arm across her shoulder. “You’ve had a rotten deal, girl. I wish for your sake that it could be undone. I didn’t know that there was so much hate between your dad and mine. I knew that they were not friends, but—well, I know now.” “Your father drove my father out of this valley.” “But that was years ago, Molly.” “And branded him a thief,” bitterly. “Yeah, I reckon that’s right. It never was proved nor disproved, Molly. We’ve known for years that he was goin’ to try and shove sheep across the range into Lo Lo. He swore that he would sheep us out. There ain’t been a time in two years that men haven’t ridden the upper ranges, watchin’ for such a thing.