So Clarence must make up his mind to wait developments.

In the meantime the settlers had harvested their crops of hay and grain, and were hauling them to town. Don Mariano, as a matter of course, had paid dearly for these same crops, with the sacrifice of his fine cows, besides very heavy taxes. He had sent half of his cattle away to the sierra, and those left had been as carefully guarded as possible, but still the dumb brutes would be attracted by the green grain, and would obey the law of nature, to go and eat it, in utter disregard of the "no fence law."

Thus, every night the fusilade of the law-abiding settlers would be heard, as they, to protect _their_ "_rights under the law_," would be shooting the Don's cattle all over the rancho. In vain did he, or his sons and servants, ride out to find who fired. There was never a man to be seen with a gun or rifle in his hands; it never could be proved that any one of these peaceful farmers had fired a shot. The cattle were killed, but who had done it no one could say. Day after day the _vaqueros_ would come in and report the number of cattle found shot, dead or wounded, that morning, and Gabriel would make a note of the number; at the end of the month he would add these figures, and the Don had the sad satisfaction of knowing how many of his cattle were killed _under the law_. For although the law did not enjoin upon any one to kill cattle in this manner, the effect was the same as if it had said so plainly.

"I think Southern California isn't such a very dry country as people try to make it out. The settlers on this rancho, I reckon, will realize nice little sums on their crops this year," Mr. Darrell observed at breakfast one morning.

"And with their little sums they should pay the Don for the cattle they have shot. It is a shame to take his land, have him pay taxes, and then kill his cattle also," replied Mrs. Darrell. "Those heartless people keep me awake sometimes with their cattle-shooting. I think the Don and his family are too kind to bear all these daily (and nightly) outrages so patiently."

"I thought you had given it up as a bad job to be the Don's champion, Mrs. Darrell," said her husband.

"If by being his champion I could save his cattle there would be no danger of giving up my championship. What I regret is that my sympathy should be so useless."

"Never mind, mother, the Don will soon have the power to drive all this _canaille_ out of his rancho," Clarence said.

"Do you include me with the _canaille_?" asked Darrell.

"No, father, I do not. I suppose you have not forgotten you promised Don Mariano to pay for the land you located when the title should be approved."

"When there is no more _dispute_ about it," Darrell explained.

"I understood you had said that when the government did not dispute it.

We all know that the squatters will dispute it as long as they can find lawyers, who for a fee will fight against right and justice," Clarence said.

"I will keep to what I said-but I am not going to have my words construed to suit everybody," Darrell said, doggedly.

"How is the Don to have power to drive off the settlers, Clary? Tell us," Webster inquired.

"Don't you tell him, Clary. He'll go and tell it to the _squatters_,"

Willie interposed.

"And since when did you learn to call the settlers squatters, Master Willie? Ain't you a squatter yourself?" asked Mr. Darrell.

"No, I'm not. Am I, mamma?" asked Willie.

"I hope not, my dear. If I thought any one in this family were to deserve such a name I would not have come down to this place," Mrs.

Darrell replied.

"What is a squatter, anyhow, mamma?" Clementine inquired.

"A squatter is a person who locates a land claim on land that belongs to some other person," Mrs. Darrell explained.

"On land that other persons say belongs to them, but which land, as no one knows to whom it belongs, it is free to be occupied by any American citizen," Mr. Darrell added with emphasis.

"There you are again mixing the wilful squatter with the honest settler, who pre-empts his land legitimately. The dividing line between the squatter and the settler is very clear to any one who honestly wants to see it," Mrs. Darrell said, and three or four of her children started to explain how well they did see that line.

"It is as plain as the nose on your face," Willie's voice said in a high key. "The honest settler only pre-empts government land, but the squatter goes into anybody's land before he knows who has title."

"Bravo!" cried Everett; "you got it straight this time."

"Then a squatter is a land thief?" Clementine inquired.

"That is a severe term," Alice observed.

"But isn't it true?" Clementine argued.

"No, because the squatter might not _intend_ to steal. He might mistakenly take land which belongs to some one else. The intention is what makes the action a theft or not," Mrs. Darrell explained.

"But why should they make such mistakes? Ain't somebody there to say to whom the land belongs?" Master Willie inquired.

"Yes, but that somebody might not be believed, Master Willie, and there is where the shoe pinches," Webster explained.

"Ah!" was Willie's exclamation, and he became thoughtful.

"I give it up," said Clementine with a sigh, making them all laugh.

"That is a very wise resolve," Darrell observed.

"I've got it, papa," Willie's voice again was heard saying.

"Well, what have you got?" his father asked.

"The government ought to say first to whom the land belongs, and not let anybody take a single acre until the government says it is public land.

Isn't that the way you say, Clarence?"

"Oh, you are quoting Clarence. I thought it was your own original idea you were giving us," Darrell said, and all laughed at Willie.

But he held his ground, saying; "It is Clarence's idea, but I only understood it this minute, so now it is mine."

"That is right, Willie. That is the way correct ideas are disseminated and take root," Everett said.

"And erroneous ones, too," Darrell added.

"Which is the correct, papa?" asked Willie.

"Your mind is even more inquisitive than usual this morning, Willie,"

said Jane.

"Suppose it is, do you object to it?" Willie queried.

"I think you had better be a lawyer," Lucy suggested.

"I mean to be. Then I will be the Don's lawyer."

"But suppose he don't want you?" asked Webster.

"But he will, for I will be honest."

"Will he want you if you are stupid, only because you are honest?" asked Clementine.