Plainly she would have liked to rebuff him, but just now he had the whip hand. Her sullen answer came slowly. "I'm going to tell my brother that father needs him. When he has gone, I'll see what I can do." "And what am I to do while you are inside?" "Whatever you like." She held out her hand for his belt. Not at all willingly he unbuckled it. "You'll be careful," he urged. "Meldrum is a bad man. Don't try any tricks with him." "He knows better than to touch a hair of my head," she assured him with proud carelessness. Then, "Hide in those trees," she ordered. Ned Rutherford answered her knock on the door of the _jacal_. At sight of her he exclaimed:-- "What are you doing here, Boots? At this time of night? Anything wrong?" "Dad needs you, Ned. It seems there is trouble about that young man Street. Jess Tighe has sworn to kill him and dad won't have it. There's trouble in the air. You're to come straight home." "Why didn't he send Jeff?" "He needed him. You're to keep on down through the canon to the mouth. Jess has the mouth of the arroyo guarded to head off Street." "But--what's broke? Why should Tighe be so keen on bumping off this pink-ear when dad says no?" "They've found out who he is. It seems Street is an _alias_. He is really Royal Beaudry, the son of the man who used to be sheriff of the county, the one who crippled Jess the day he was killed." The slim youth in the high-heeled boots whistled. He understood now why Tighe dared to defy his father. "All right, Boots. With you in a minute, soon as I get my hat and let Dan know." "No. I'm to stay here till dad sends for me. He doesn't want me near the trouble." "You mean you're to stay at Rothgerber's." "No, here. Tighe may attack Rothgerber's any time to get this young Beaudry. I heard shooting as I came up." "But--you can't stay here. What's dad thinking about?" he frowned. "If you mean because of Mr. Dingwell, I know all about that." "Who told you?" he demanded. "Dad can't keep secrets from me. There's no use his trying." "Hm! I notice he loaded us with a heap of instructions not to let you know anything. He'd better learn to padlock his own tongue." "Isn't there a room where I can sleep here?" Beulah asked. "There's a cot in the back room," he admitted sulkily. "But you can't--" "That's another thing," she broke in. "Dad doesn't want Dan left alone with Mr. Dingwell." "Who's that out there, Ned?" growled a heavy voice from inside. Beulah followed her brother into the hut. Two men stared at her in amazement. One sat on the bed with a leg tied to the post. The other was at the table playing solitaire, a revolver lying beside the cards. The card-player was Meldrum. He jumped up with an oath. "Goddlemighty! What's she doing here?" he demanded in his hoarse raucous bass. "That's her business and mine," Rutherford answered haughtily.