"Hardly. I always hated that man."
"I never liked him a whole lot, neither. Say, how did yore dad hear about that warrant?"
"He didn't say, but I imagine somebody in Marysville wrote him. He has friends there, you know."
"I didn't know, but I'm shore glad he has. Next time yuh write yuh might thank yore dad for me."
"I will, of course. I'm awfully glad you're safe up here, Tom. All the straight people in the Lazy River country know you didn't have any hand in the branding of those Crossed Dumbbell cattle, but that doesn't help much when Block and his friends are in the majority."
"Yo're right, it don't; but I got to go to Farewell anyway in about five weeks."
"What?" Kate's eyes widened with something very like fear.
"Shore," nodded Loudon. "I got a little business to attend to that can't be put off."
"Put it off," begged Kate, stretching out a pleading hand. "Put it off, Tom. You mustn't—you can't go back to Farewell now. Some day everything will be all right again, and then you can go back. But not now, Tom. Your life is much more important than any silly business. Please wait."
"Can't be did," said Loudon with finality. "I just got to go, an' that's all there is to it."