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a gentler turn; in that dim; mysterious horizon line before him; his

future seemed to be dreamily peopled with airy; graceful shapes that

more or less took the likeness of Susy。  She was bright; coquettish;

romantic; as he had last seen her; she was older; graver; and

thoughtfully welcome of him; or she was cold; distant; and severely

forgetful of the past。  How would her adopted father and mother

receive him?  Would they ever look upon him in the light of a suitor

to the young girl?  He had no fear of Peyton;he understood his own

sex; and; young as he was; knew already how to make himself

respected; but how could he overcome that instinctive aversion which

Mrs。 Peyton had so often made him feel he had provoked?  Yet in this

dreamy hush of earth and sky; what was not possible?  His boyish

heart beat high with daring visions。



He saw Mrs。 Peyton in the porch; welcoming him with that maternal

smile which his childish longing had so often craved to share with

Susy。  Peyton would be there; too;Peyton; who had once pushed back

his torn straw hat to look approvingly in his boyish eyes; and

Peyton; perhaps; might be proud of him。



Suddenly he started。  A voice in his very ear!



〃Bah!  A yoke of vulgar cattle grazing on lands that were thine by

right and law。  Neither more nor less than that。  And I tell thee;

Pancho; like cattle; to be driven off or caught and branded for

one's own。  Ha!  There are those who could swear to the truth of

this on the Creed。  Ay! and bring papers stamped and signed by the

governor's rubric to prove it。  And not that I hate them;bah! what

are those heretic swine to me?  But thou dost comprehend me?  It

galls and pricks me to see them swelling themselves with stolen

husks; and men like thee; Pancho; ousted from their own land。〃



Clarence had halted in utter bewilderment。  No one was visible

before him; behind him; on either side。  The words; in Spanish; came

from the air; the sky; the distant horizon; he knew not which。  Was

he still dreaming?  A strange shiver crept over his skin as if the

air had grown suddenly chill。  Then another mysterious voice arose;

incredulous; half mocking; but equally distinct and clear。



〃Caramba!  What is this?  You are wandering; friend Pancho。  You are

still smarting from his tongue。  He has the grant confirmed by his

brigand government; he has the POSSESSION; stolen by a thief like

himself; and he has the Corregidors with him。  For is he not one of

them himself; this Judge Peyton?〃



Peyton!  Clarence felt the blood rush back to his face in

astonishment and indignation。  His heels mechanically pressed his

horse's flanks; and the animal sprang forward。



〃Guarda!  Mira!〃 said the voice again in a quicker; lower tone。  But

this time it was evidently in the field beside him; and the heads

and shoulders of two horsemen emerged at the same moment from the

tall ranks of wild oats。  The mystery was solved。  The strangers had

been making their way along a lower level of the terraced plain;

hidden by the grain; not twenty yards away; and parallel with the

road they were now ascending to join。  Their figures were alike

formless in long striped serapes; and their features undistinguishable

under stiff black sombreros。



〃Buenas noches; senor;〃 said the second voice; in formal and

cautious deliberation。



A sudden inspiration made Clarence respond in English; as if he had

not comprehended the stranger's words; 〃Eh?〃



〃Gooda…nighta;〃 repeated the stranger。



〃Oh; good…night;〃 returned Clarence。  They passed him。  Their spurs

tinkled twice or thrice; their mustangs sprang forward; and the next

moment the loose folds of their serapes were fluttering at their

sides like wings in their flight。





CHAPTER IV。





After the chill of a dewless night the morning sun was apt to look

ardently upon the Robles Rancho; if so strong an expression could

describe the dry; oven…like heat of a Californian coast…range

valley。  Before ten o'clock the adobe wall of the patio was warm

enough to permit lingering vacqueros and idle peons to lean against

it; and the exposed annexe was filled with sharp; resinous odors

from the oozing sap of unseasoned 〃redwood〃 boards; warped and

drying in the hot sunshine。  Even at that early hour the climbing

Castilian roses were drooping against the wooden columns of the new

veranda; scarcely older than themselves; and mingling an already

faded spice with the aroma of baking wood and the more material

fragrance of steaming coffee; that seemed dominant everywhere。



In fact; the pretty breakfast…room; whose three broad windows;

always open to the veranda; gave an al fresco effect to every meal;

was a pathetic endeavor of the Southern…bred Peyton to emulate the

soft; luxurious; and open…air indolence of his native South; in a

climate that was not only not tropical; but even austere in its most

fervid moments。  Yet; although cold draughts invaded it from the

rear that morning; Judge Peyton sat alone; between the open doors

and windows; awaiting the slow coming of his wife and the young

ladies。  He was not in an entirely comfortable mood that morning。

Things were not going on well at Robles。  That truculent vagabond;

Pedro; had; the night before; taken himself off with a curse that

had frightened even the vacqueros; who most hated him as a

companion; but who now seemed inclined to regard his absence as an

injury done to their race。  Peyton; uneasily conscious that his own

anger had been excited by an exaggerated conception of the accident;

was now; like most obstinate men; inclined to exaggerate the

importance of Pedro's insolence。  He was well out of it to get rid

of this quarrelsome hanger…on; whose presumption and ill…humor

threatened the discipline of the rancho; yet he could not entirely

forget that he had employed him on account of his family claims; and

from a desire to placate racial jealousy and settle local differences。

For the inferior Mexicans and Indian half…breeds still regarded

their old masters with affection; were; in fact; more concerned for

the integrity of their caste than the masters were themselves; and

the old Spanish families who had made alliances with Americans; and

shared their land with them; had rarely succeeded in alienating

their retainers with their lands。  Certain experiences in the

proving of his grant before the Land Commission had taught Peyton

that they were not to be depended upon。  And lately there had been

unpleasant rumors of the discovery of some unlooked…for claimants to

a division of the grant itself; which might affect his own title。



He looked up quickly as voices and light steps on the veranda at

last heralded the approach of his tardy household from the corridor。

But; in spite of his preoccupation; he was startled and even

awkwardly impressed with a change in Susy's appearance。  She was

wearing; for the first time; a long skirt; and this sudden maturing

of her figure struck him; as a man; much more forcibly than it would

probably have impressed a woman; more familiar with details。  He had

not noticed certain indications of womanhood; as significant;

perhaps; in her carriage as her outlines; which had been lately

perfectly apparent to her mother and Mary; but which were to him

now; for the first time; indicated by a few inches of skirt。  She

not only looked taller to his masculine eyes; but these few inches

had added to the mystery as well as the drapery of the goddess; they

were not so much the revelation of maturity as the suggestion that

it was HIDDEN。  So impressed was he; that a half…serious lecture on

her yesterday's childishness; the outcome of his irritated

reflections that morning; died upon his lips。  He felt he was no

longer dealing with a child。



He welcomed them with that smile of bantering approbation; supposed

to keep down inordinate vanity; which for some occult reason one

always reserves for the members of one's 

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