"And shall I have to stay here three whole days?"
He looked with half-shut, smoldering eyes at her slender
exquisiteness, compact of a strange charm that was both well-bred
and gypsyish. There was a scarce-veiled passion in his gaze that
troubled her. More than once that day she had caught it.
"Three days ain't so long. I could stand three months of you and
wish for more," he told her.
Lightly she turned the subject, but not without a chill of fear.
Three days was a long time. Much might happen if this wolf
slipped the leash of his civilization.
It was next day that an incident occurred which was to affect the
course of events more than she could guess at the time. A bunch
of wild hill steers had been driven down by Hardman, Reilly, and
Neil in the afternoon and were inclosed in the corral with the
cows from the Rocking Chair Ranch. Just before sunset Leroy, who
had been away all day, returned and sauntered over from the
stable to join Alice. It struck the girl from his flushed
appearance that he had been drinking. In his eye she found a wild
devil of lawlessness that set her heart pounding.
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