A startled look came into the hard black eyes.
“What do you mean?” Kate Hallard cried. “What do you know about the range? Who be you, anyway?”
“Did you sell it?” the stranger persisted, ignoring her questions.
“Sell it!” she burst out, shrilly. “If you know anything about it, you know I never got a chance to sell it. It melted; it never got to be mine.”
Her voice had risen until the sound brought Sing Fat in from the kitchen to observe. Seeing this, she lowered it.
“Look a’ here, Mister,” she said, sharply, “If you’re as wise as you’re tryin’ to make out, you know how I got done outer the range.”
“I honestly don’t know,” was the reply. “I found your deed, and I’ve been hunting you up to give it to you.”
She stared at him, in a sort of awe.
“You found that deed?” she whispered.
“Yes; I have it. But how did you lose the property?”