"I'm not going!" she answered hurriedly. "I'm afraid--and I won't leave you, Dad!" She had stopped as she spoke, but Black Bart, snarling terribly, threw his weight back, and dragged her a step forward. "Buck," cried old Joe Cumberland and he dragged himself up and stood tottering. "Shoot the damned wolf--for God's sake--for my sake!" Still the wolf-dog drew the girl in that snarling progress towards the door. "Kate!" cried her father, and the agony in his voice made it young and sent it ringing through the room. "Will you go out to wander between heaven and hell--on a night like this?" "I'm not going!" she answered, "I won't leave you--but oh--Dad!----" He opened his lips for a fresh appeal, but the chorus of the wild geese swept in upon the wind, blown loud and clear and jangling as distant bells out of tune. And Kate Cumberland buried her face in her hands and stumbled blindly out of the room and down the hall--and then they heard the wild neighing of a horse outside. "Buck!" commanded Joe Cumberland. "He's stealin' my girl--my Kate--go out! call up the boys--tell'em to stop Dan from saddlin' a horse for Kate----" "Wait and listen!" cut in Buck Daniels. "D'you hear that?" On the wet ground outside they heard a patter of galloping hoofs, and then a wild whistling, sweet and keen and high, came ringing back to them. It diminished rapidly with the distance. "He's carryin' her off on Satan!" groaned Joe Cumberland, staggering as he tried to step forward. "Buck, call out the boys. Even Satan can't beat my hosses when he's carryin' double--call'em out--if you bring her back----" His voice choked and he stumbled and would have fallen to his knees had not Buck Daniels sprang forward and caught him and carried him back to the couch. "What's happened there ain't no man can stop," said Buck hoarsely. "God's work or devil's work--I dunno--but I know there ain't no place for a man between Dan and Kate." "Turn up the lights," commanded Joe Cumberland sharply. "Got to see; I got to think. D'you hear?" Buck Daniels ran to the big lamp and turned up the wick. At once a clear light flooded every nook of the big room and showed all its emptiness. "Can't you make the lamp work?" asked the old ranchman angrily. "Ain't they any oil in it? Why, Buck, they ain't enough light for me to see your face, hardly. But I'll do without the light. Buck, how far will they go? Kate's a good girl! She won't leave me, lad!" "She won't," agreed Buck Daniels. "Jest gone with Dan for a bit of a canter." "The devil was come back in his eyes," muttered the old man. "God knows where he's headin' for! Buck, I brought him in off'n the range and made him a part of my house. I took him into my heart; and now he's gone out again and taken everything that I love along with him. Buck, why did he go?" "He'll come back," said the big cowpuncher softly.