When he was again conscious of his surroundings it was twilight in the forest. The trees no longer stood out singly but in confused masses. Light fog began to lift from the hollows, wet still from the recent rains; the air grew chilly. Then presently, through an opening ahead, appeared the knob-like crest of the south hill, girdled with a ribbon of mist; and as he rode towards the clearing, there unfolded a company of peaks, shading from copper and amethyst to a purplish black. He passed a branch trail, rising and winding up in the direction of the canyon, and making a final curve, came upon Thornton’s cabin, and Samantha churning and singing in the little porch. "How do you do?" he said, swinging down from the saddle and taking her offered hand; "I sent my congratulations to Mill, through Miss Hunter, some time ago, but I must congratulate you both on this homestead. It makes a great showing. I’m coming back in a day or two to look over the section, but tonight I’m going right on to the falls." "You’ll kem ercross Mill down ther," she answered, smiling. "He ’lowed he’d hev er look at ther river. It’s out on a reg’lar tear. You kin hear it, can’t you? It’s ripped out ther teacher’s sluice-gate, an’ carried away a mighty nice little bridge Mr. Stratton put in below ther falls." So Alice had built a sluice-gate. He smiled, puzzled, and then with a flash of understanding. Of course it was she who had taught Thornton the problem of bringing the stream to his land. It was she who had suggested the line of sluice-box he had noticed ahead, along the trail. Well, he could spare the water. He was glad to. "I promised to leave Ketchem with Mill," he said, and loosened his snug blanket roll from behind the saddle. "Jake expects him down at the Station tomorrow. I would like to have a look at my own horse, and see Miss Hunter for a moment before I go on." "Why," said Samantha in surprise, "she ain’t here. I ’low she’s too powerful busy tendin’ to her own ranch." "Her own ranch?" he repeated. "Yes. Fur ther land sakes, don’t you know she homesteaded that ther piece to ther falls?" Forrest stood a silent moment. His look moved from Samantha’s face to a high spur of the hill. His breath came a little heavily, with a slight uplift of the shoulders, and he raised his hand to the handkerchief, knotted loosely at his throat, and eased it, as though it choked. Then he took up the strapped blanket from the step and swung it to his back and started on down the trail. He had forgotten to say good-night, and Samantha waited, watching him curiously, and holding in the fretting horse. Presently he stopped in uncertainty, like a man lost, and turned and came back.