"He is a brute!" As the words escaped her lips--she had not meant to utter them--Sheila caught a glint in Duncan's eyes which told her that she had echoed the latter's sentiments, and she felt almost like retracting the charge. She had to bite her lips to resist the impulse. "A brute, eh?" laughed Langford. "It strikes me that I wouldn't so characterize a man who had saved my life. The chances are that after saving you he didn't seem delighted enough, or he didn't smile to suit you, or----" "He ain't so awful much of a man," remarked Duncan disparagingly. Langford turned and looked at Duncan with a comprehending smile. "Evidently you owe Dakota nothing, my dear Duncan," he said. The latter's face darkened, and with Sheila listening he told the story of the calf deal, which had indirectly brought about the death of Blanca. "For a long time we had suspected Texas Blanca of rustling," said Duncan, "but we couldn't catch him with the goods. Five years ago, after the spring round-up, I branded a bunch of calves with a secret mark, and then we rode sign on Blanca. "We had him then, for the calves disappeared and some of the boys found some of them in Blanca's corral, but we delayed, hoping he would run off more, and while we were waiting he sold out to Dakota. We didn't know that at the time; didn't find it out until we went over to take Blanca and found Dakota living in his cabin. He had a bill of sale from Blanca all right, showing that he'd bought the calves from him. It looked regular, but we had our doubts, and Dakota and me came pretty near having a run-in. If the boys hadn't interfered----" He hesitated and looked at Sheila, and as her gaze met his steadily his eyes wavered and a slow red came into his face, for the recollection of what had actually occurred at the meeting between him and Dakota was not pleasant, and since that day Duncan had many times heard the word "Yellow" spoken in connection with his name--which meant that he lacked courage. "So he wasn't a rustler, after all?" said Sheila pleasantly. For some reason which she could not entirely explain, she suspected that Duncan had left many things out of his story of his clash with Dakota. "Well, no," admitted Duncan grudgingly. Sheila was surprised at the satisfaction she felt over this admission. Perhaps Duncan read her face as she had read his, for he frowned. "Him and Blanca framed up--making believe that Blanca had sold him the Star brand," he said venomously. "I don't believe it!" Sheila's eyes met Duncan's and the latter's wavered. She was not certain which gave her the thrill she felt--her defense of Dakota or Duncan's bitter rage over the exhibition of that defense.