第3章

Shelookedup，becamesuddenlyawarethatsheandherquestionerwerethecentreofinteresttothewholecircleofpassengers，and，withaslightriseofcolor，returned，"Yes。”

"Well，MissMullins，I"vegotaquestionortwotoaskye。Iaskitstraightoutaforethiscrowd。It"sinmyrightstotakeyeasideandaskit——butthatain"tmystyle；I"mnodetective。I

needn"taskitatall，butactasefIknowedtheanswer，orI

mightleaveittobeaskedbyothers。Yeneedn"tansweritefyedon"tlike；ye"vegotafriendoverther——JudgeThompson——whoisafriendtoye，rightorwrong，jestasanyothermanhereis——asthoughye"dpackedyourownjury。Well，thesimplequestionI"vegottoaskyeisTHIS:DidyousignaltoanybodyfromthecoachwhenwepassedGalloper"sanhourago？"

WeallthoughtthatBill"scourageandaudacityhadreacheditsclimaxhere。Toopenlyandpubliclyaccusea"lady"beforeagroupofchivalrousCalifornians，andthatladypossessingthefurtherattractionsofyouth，goodlooks，andinnocence，waslittleshortofdesperation。Therewasanevidentmovementofadhesiontowardsthefairstranger，aslightmutteringbrokeoutontheright，buttheveryboldnessoftheactheldtheminstupefiedsurprise。

JudgeThompson，withablandpropitiatorysmilebegan:"Really，Bill，Imustprotestonbehalfofthisyounglady"——whenthefairaccused，raisinghereyestoheraccuser，totheconsternationofeverybodyansweredwiththeslightbutconvincinghesitationofconscientioustruthfulness:——

"IDID。”

"Ahem!"interposedtheJudgehastily，"er——thatis——er——youallowedyourhandkerchieftoflutterfromthewindow，——Inoticeditmyself，——casually——onemightsayevenplayfully——butwithoutanyparticularsignificance。”

Thegirl，regardingherapologistwithasingularminglingofprideandimpatience，returnedbriefly:——

"Isignaled。”

"Whodidyousignalto？"askedBillgravely。

"TheyounggentlemanI"mgoingtomarry。”

Astart，followedbyaslighttitterfromtheyoungerpassengers，wasinstantlysuppressedbyasavageglancefromBill。

"Whatdidyousignaltohimfor？"hecontinued。

"TotellhimIwashere，andthatitwasallright，"returnedtheyounggirl，withasteadilyrisingprideandcolor。

"Wotwasallright？"demandedBill。

"ThatIwasn"tfollowed，andthathecouldmeetmeontheroadbeyondCass"sRidgeStation。”Shehesitatedamoment，andthen，withastillgreaterpride，inwhichayouthfuldefiancewasstillmingled，said:

"I"verunawayfromhometomarryhim。AndImeanto!Noonecanstopme。Daddidn"tlikehimjustbecausehewaspoor，anddad"sgotmoney。DadwantedmetomarryamanIhate，andgotalotofdressesandthingstobribeme。”

"Andyou"retakingtheminyourtrunktotheotherfeller？"saidBillgrimly。

"Yes，he"spoor，"returnedthegirldefiantly。

"Thenyourfather"snameisMullins？"askedBill。

"It"snotMullins。I——I——tookthatname，"shehesitated，withherfirstexhibitionofself-consciousness。

"WotIShisname？"

"EliHemmings。”

Asmileofreliefandsignificancewentroundthecircle。ThefameofElior"Skinner"Hemmings，asanotoriousmiserandusurer，hadpassedevenbeyondGalloper"sRidge。

"Thestepthatyou"retaking，MissMullins，Ineednottellyou，isoneofgreatgravity，"saidJudgeThompson，withacertainpaternalseriousnessofmanner，inwhich，however，weweregladtodetectaglaringaffectation；"andItrustthatyouandyouraffiancedhavefullyweighedit。Farbeitfrommetointerferewithorquestionthenaturalaffectionsoftwoyoungpeople，butmayIaskyouwhatyouknowofthe——er——younggentlemanforwhomyouaresacrificingsomuch，and，perhaps，imperilingyourwholefuture？Forinstance，haveyouknownhimlong？"

Theslightlytroubledairoftryingtounderstand，——notunlikethevaguewondermentofchildhood，——withwhichMissMullinshadreceivedthebeginningofthisexordium，changedtoarelievedsmileofcomprehensionasshesaidquickly，"Ohyes，nearlyawholeyear。”

"And，"saidtheJudge，smiling，"hasheavocation——isheinbusiness？"

"Ohyes，"shereturned；"he"sacollector。”

"Acollector？"

"Yes；hecollectsbills，youknow，——money，"shewenton，withchildisheagerness，"notforhimself，——HEneverhasanymoney，poorCharley，——butforhisfirm。It"sdreadfulhardwork，too；keepshimoutfordaysandnights，overbadroadsandbaddestweather。

Sometimes，whenhe"sstoleovertotheranchjusttoseeme，he"sbeensobadhecouldscarcelykeephisseatinthesaddle，muchlessstand。Andhe"sgottotakemightybigrisks，too。Timesthefolksarecrosswithhimandwon"tpay；oncetheyshothiminthearm，andhecametome，andIhelpeddoitupforhim。Buthedon"tmind。He"srealbrave，——jestasbraveashe"sgood。”Therewassuchawholesomeringoftruthinthisprettypraisethatweweretouchedinsympathywiththespeaker。

"Whatfirmdoeshecollectfor？"askedtheJudgegently。

"Idon"tknowexactly——hewon"ttellme；butIthinkit"saSpanishfirm。Yousee"——shetookusallintoherconfidencewithasweepingsmileofinnocentyethalf-mischievousartfulness——"IonlyknowbecauseIpeepedoveraletterheoncegotfromhisfirm，tellinghimhemusthustleupandbereadyfortheroadthenextday；butIthinkthenamewasMartinez——yes，RamonMartinez。”

Inthedeadsilencethatensued——asilencesoprofoundthatwecouldhearthehorsesinthedistantstable-yardrattlingtheirharness——oneoftheyounger"Excelsior"boysburstintoahystericlaugh，butthefierceeyeofYubaBillwasdownuponhim，andseemedtoinstantlystiffenhimintoasilent，grinningmask。Theyounggirl，however，tooknonoteofit。Followingout，withlover-likediffusiveness，thereminiscencesthusawakened，shewenton:——

"Yes，it"smightyhardwork，buthesaysit"sallforme，andassoonaswe"remarriedhe"llquitit。Hemighthavequititbefore，buthewon"ttakenomoneyofme，norwhatItoldhimIcouldgetoutofdad!Thatain"thisstyle。He"smightyproud——ifheispoor——isCharley。Whythar"sallma"smoneywhichsheleftmeintheSavin"sBankthatIwantedtodrawout——forIhadtheright——

andgiveittohim，buthewouldn"thearofit!Why，hewouldn"ttakeoneofthethingsI"vegotwithme，ifheknewit。Andsohegoesonridin"andridin"，hereandthereandeverywhere，andgettin"moreandmoreplayedoutandsad，andthinandpaleasaspirit，andalwayssouneasyabouthisbusiness，andstartin"upattimeswhenwe"remeetin"outintheSouthWoodsorinthefarclearin"，andsayin":"Imustbegoin"now，Polly，"andyetalwaystryin"tobechiffleandchipperaforeme。WhyhemusthaveridmilesandmilestohavewatchedformetharinthebrushatthefootofGalloper"sto-night，jesttoseeifallwassafe；andLordy!I"dhavegivenhimthesignalandshowedalightifI"ddiedforitthenextminit。There!That"swhatIknowofCharley——

that"swhatI"mrunningawayfromhomefor——that"swhatI"mrunningtohimfor，andIdon"tcarewhoknowsit!AndIonlywishI"ddoneitafore——andIwould——if——if——if——he"donlyASKEDME!Therenow!"Shestopped，panted，andchoked。Thenoneofthesuddentransitionsofyouthfulemotionovertooktheeager，laughingface；

itcloudedupwiththeswiftchangeofchildhood，alightningquiverofexpressionbrokeoverit，and——thencametherain!

Ithinkthissimpleactcompletedourutterdemoralization!Wesmiledfeeblyateachotherwiththatassumptionofmasculinesuperioritywhichismiserablyconsciousofitsownhelplessnessatsuchmoments。Welookedoutofthewindow，blewournoses，said:

"Eh——what？"and"Isay，"vaguelytoeachother，andweregreatlyrelieved，andyetapparentlyastonished，whenYubaBill，whohadturnedhisbackuponthefairspeaker，andwaskickingthelogsinthefireplace，suddenlysweptdownuponusandbundledusallintotheroad，leavingMissMullinsalone。ThenhewalkedasidewithJudgeThompsonforafewmoments；returnedtous，autocraticallydemandedofthepartyacompletereticencetowardsMissMullinsonthesubject-matterunderdiscussion，re-enteredthestation，reappearedwiththeyounglady，suppressedafaintidioticcheerwhichbrokefromusatthespectacleofherinnocentfaceoncemoreclearedandrosy，climbedthebox，andinanothermomentwewereunderway。

"Thenshedon"tknowwhatherloverisyet？"askedtheExpressmaneagerly。

"No。”

"AreYOUcertainit"soneofthegang？"

"Can"tsayFORSURE。ItmoutbeayoungchapfromYolowhobuckedaginthetiger*atSacramento，gotregularlycleanedoutandbusted，andjoinedthegangforaflier。TheysaytharwasanewhandinthatjoboveratKeeley"s，——andamightygameone，too；andeztherewassomebuckshotonloadedthattrip，hemighthevgothisshare，andthatwouldtallywithwhatthegirlsaidabouthisarm。

See!Efthat"stheman，I"veheeredhewasthesonofsomebigpreacherintheStates，andacollegesharptoboot，whoranwildin"Frisco，andplayedhimselfforallhewasworth。They"rethewustkindtokickwhentheyoncegetafootoverthetraces。Forstiddy，comf"blekempany，"addedBillreflectively，"giveMEthesonofamanthatwasHANGED!"

*Gambledatfaro。

"Butwhatareyougoingtodoaboutthis？"

"Thatdependsuponthefellerwhocomestomeether。”

"Butyouain"tgoingtotrytotakehim？Thatwouldbeplayingitprettylowdownonthemboth。”

"Keepyourhairon，Jimmy!TheJudgeandmeareonlygoingtorastlewiththesperritofthatgayyounggaloot，whenhedropsdownforhisgirl——andexhorthimpow"ful!Efheallowshe"sconvictedofsinandwillfindtheLord，we"llmarryhimandthegaloffhandatthenextstation，andtheJudgewillofficiatehimselffornothin"。We"regoin"tohavethisyerelopementdoneonthesquare——andourwaybillclean——youbet!"

"Butyoudon"tsupposehe"lltrusthimselfinyourhands？"

"Pollywillsignaltohimthatit"sallsquare。”

"Ah!"saidtheExpressman。Neverthelessinthosefewmomentsthemenseemedtohaveexchangeddispositions。TheExpressmanlookeddoubtfully，critically，andevencynicallybeforehim。Bill"sfacehadrelaxed，andsomethinglikeablandsmilebeamedacrossit，ashedroveconfidentlyandunhesitatinglyforward。

Day，meantime，althoughfullblownandradiantonthemountainsummitsaroundus，wasyetnebulousanduncertaininthevalleysintowhichwewereplunging。Lightsstillglimmeredinthecabinsandfewranchbuildingswhichbegantoindicatethethickersettlements。Andtheshadowswereheaviestinalittlecopse，whereanotefromJudgeThompsoninthecoachwashandeduptoYubaBill，whoatonceslowlybegantodrawuphishorses。Thecoachstoppedfinallynearthejunctionofasmallcrossroad。AtthesamemomentMissMullinsslippeddownfromthevehicle，and，withapartingwaveofherhandtotheJudge，whohadassistedherfromthesteps，trippeddownthecrossroad，anddisappearedinitssemi-

obscurity。Tooursurprisethestagewaited，Billholdingthereinslistlesslyinhishands。Fiveminutespassed——aneternityofexpectation，and，astherewasthatinYubaBill"sfacewhichforbadeidlequestioning，anachingvoidofsilencealso!Thiswasatlastbrokenbyastrangevoicefromtheroad:——

"Goonwe"llfollow。”

Thecoachstartedforward。Presentlyweheardthesoundofotherwheelsbehindus。Weallcranedournecksbackwardtogetaviewoftheunknown，butbythegrowinglightwecouldonlyseethatwewerefollowedatadistancebyabuggywithtwofiguresinit。

EvidentlyPollyMullinsandherlover!Wehopedthattheywouldpassus。Butthevehicle，althoughdrawnbyafasthorse，preserveditsdistancealways，anditwasplainthatitsdriverhadnodesiretosatisfyourcuriosity。TheExpressmanhadrecoursetoBill。

"Isitthemanyouthoughtof？"heaskedeagerly。

"Ireckon，"saidBillbriefly。

"But，"continuedtheExpressman，returningtohisformerskepticism，"what"stokeepthembothfromlevantingtogethernow？"

Billjerkedhishandtowardsthebootwithagrimsmile。

"Theirbaggage。”

"Oh!"saidtheExpressman。

"Yes，"continuedBill。"We"llhangontothatgal"slittlefrillsandfixin"suntilthisyerjob"ssettled，andtheceremony"sover，jestasefwewazherownfather。And，what"smore，youngman，"headded，suddenlyturningtotheExpressman，"YOU"LLexpressthemtrunksofhersTHROUGHTOSACRAMENTOwithyourkempany"slabels，andhandherthereceiptsandchecksforthem，sosheCANGET"EM

THERE。That"llkeepHIMoutertemptationandthereacho"thegang，untiltheygetawayamongwhitemenandcivilizationagain。

Whenyourhoary-headedolegrandfather，or，tospeakplainer，thatpartikleroldwhiskey-soakerknownasYubaBill，wotsitsonthisbox，"hecontinued，withadiabolicalwinkattheExpressman，"waltzesintopervideforayoungcouplejeststartin"inlife，thar"snothin"meanabouthisstyle，youbet。Hefillsthebilleverytime!SpeshulProvidencestakeabackseatwhenhe"saround。”

WhenthestationhotelandstragglingsettlementofSugarPine，nowdistinctandclearinthegrowinglight，atlastrosewithinrifleshotontheplateau，thebuggysuddenlydartedswiftlybyus，soswiftlythatthefacesofthetwooccupantswerebarelydistinguishableastheypassed，andkeepingtheleadbyadozenlengths，reachedthedoorofthehotel。Theyounggirlandhercompanionleapeddownandvanishedwithinaswedrewup。Theyhadevidentlydeterminedtoeludeourcuriosity，andweresuccessful。

Butthematerialappetitesofthepassengers，sharpenedbythekeenmountainair，weremorepotentthantheircuriosity，and，asthebreakfast-bellrangoutatthemomentthestagestopped，amajorityofthemrushedintothedining-roomandscrambledforplaceswithoutgivingmuchheedtothevanishedcoupleortotheJudgeandYubaBill，whohaddisappearedalso。ThethroughcoachtoMarysvilleandSacramentowaslikewisewaiting，forSugarPinewasthelimitofBill"sministration，andthecoachwhichwehadjustleftwentnofarther。Inthecourseoftwentyminutes，however，therewasaslightandsomewhatceremoniousbustlinginthehallandontheveranda，andYubaBillandtheJudgereappeared。

Thelatterwasleading，withsomeelaborationofmanneranddetail，theshapelyfigureofMissMullins，andYubaBillwasaccompanyinghercompaniontothebuggy。Weallrushedtothewindowstogetagoodviewofthemysteriousstrangerandprobableex-brigandwhoselifewasnowlinkedwithourfairfellow-passenger。Iamafraid，however，thatweallparticipatedinacertainimpressionofdisappointmentanddoubt。Handsomeandevencultivated-looking，heassuredlywas——youngandvigorousinappearance。Buttherewasacertainhalf-shamed，half-defiantsuggestioninhisexpression，yetcoupledwithawatchfullurkinguneasinesswhichwasnotpleasantandhardlybecominginabridegroom——andthepossessorofsuchabride。Butthefrank，joyous，innocentfaceofPollyMullins，resplendentwithasimple，happyconfidence，meltedourheartsagain，andcondonedthefellow"sshortcomings。Wewavedourhands；

IthinkwewouldhavegiventhreerousingcheersastheydroveawayiftheomnipotenteyeofYubaBillhadnotbeenuponus。Itwaswell，forthenextmomentweweresummonedtothepresenceofthatsoft-heartedautocrat。

WefoundhimalonewiththeJudgeinaprivatesitting-room，standingbeforeatableonwhichtherewasadecanterandglasses。

Aswefiledexpectantlyintotheroomandthedoorclosedbehindus，hecastaglanceofhesitatingtoleranceoverthegroup。

"Gentlemen，"hesaidslowly，"youwasallpresentatthebeginnin"

ofalittlegamethismornin"，andtheJudgetharthinksthatyououghterbeletinatthefinish。Idon"tseethatit"sanyofYOUR

d——dbusiness——sotospeak；buteztheJudgehereallowsyou"reallinthesecret，I"vecalledyouintotakeapartin"drinktothehealthofMr。andMrs。CharleyByng——ezisnowcomf"ablyoffontheirbridaltower。WhatYOUknoworwhatYOUsuspectsoftheyounggalootthat"smarriedthegalain"tworthshuckstoanybody，andIwouldn"tgiveittoayallerpuptoplaywith，buttheJudgethinksyououghtalltopromiserightherethatyou"llkeepitdark。That"shisopinion。Ezfarasmyopiniongoes，gen"l"men，"

continuedBill，withgreaterblandnessandapparentcordiality，"I

wantersimplyremark，inakeerless，offhandgin"ralway，thatefI

ketchanyGod-forsaken，lop-eared，chuckle-headedblatherin"idjetairin"HISopinion"——

"Onemoment，Bill，"interposedJudgeThompsonwithagravesmile；

"letmeexplain。Youunderstand，gentlemen，"hesaid，turningtous，"thesingular，andImaysayaffecting，situationwhichourgood-heartedfriendherehasdonesomuchtobringtowhatwehopewillbeahappytermination。Iwanttogivehere，asmyprofessionalopinion，thatthereisnothinginhisrequestwhich，inyourcapacityasgoodcitizensandlaw-abidingmen，youmaynotgrant。Iwanttotellyou，also，thatyouarecondoningnooffenseagainstthestatutes；thatthereisnotaparticleoflegalevidencebeforeusofthecriminalantecedentsofMr。CharlesByng，exceptthatwhichhasbeentoldyoubytheinnocentlipsofhisbetrothed，whichthelawofthelandhasnowsealedforeverinthemouthofhiswife，andthatourownactualexperienceofhisactshavebeeninthemainexculpatoryofanypreviousirregularity——ifnotincompatiblewithit。Briefly，nojudgewouldcharge，nojuryconvict，onsuchevidence。WhenIaddthattheyounggirlisoflegalage，thatthereisnoevidenceofanypreviousundueinfluence，butratherofthereverse，onthepartofthebridegroom，andthatIwascontent，asamagistrate，toperformtheceremony，Ithinkyouwillbesatisfiedtogiveyourpromise，forthesakeofthebride，anddrinkahappylifetothemboth。”

Ineednotsaythatwedidthischeerfully，andevenextortedfromBillagruntofsatisfaction。Themajorityofthecompany，however，whoweregoingwiththethroughcoachtoSacramento，thentooktheirleave，and，asweaccompaniedthemtotheveranda，wecouldseethatMissPollyMullins"strunkswerealreadytransferredtotheothervehicleundertheprotectingsealsandlabelsoftheall-potentExpressCompany。Thenthewhipcracked，thecoachrolledaway，andthelasttracesoftheadventurousyoungcoupledisappearedinthehangingreddustofitswheels。

ButYubaBill"sgrimsatisfactionatthehappyissueoftheepisodeseemedtosuffernoabatement。Heevenexceededhisusualdeliberatelyregulatedpotations，and，standingcomfortablywithhisbacktothecentreofthenowdesertedbarroom，wasmorethanusuallyloquaciouswiththeExpressman。"Yousee，"hesaid，inblandreminiscence，"whenyouroldUncleBilltakesholdofajoblikethis，heputsitstraightthroughwithoutchangin"hosses。

Yettharwasamoment，youngfeller，whenIthoughtIwasstompt!

Itwaswhenwe"dmadeupourmindtomakethatchaptellthegalfustallwhathewas!Efshe"draredorkickedinthetraces，orhungbackonlyezmuchezthat，we"dhevgivenhimjestfiveminits"lawtogetupandgetandleaveher，andwe"dhevtotedthatgalandherfixin"sbacktoherdadagain!Butshejestgavealittlescreamandstart，andthenwentoffinterhysterics，rightonhisbuzzum，laughingandcryin"andsayin"thatnothin"shouldpart"em。Gosh!ifIdidn"tthinkHEwozmorecutupthansheaboutit；aminititlookedasefHEdidn"tallowtomarryherarterall，butthatpassed，andtheywasmarriedhardandfast——youbet!Ireckonhe"shadenoughofstayin"outo"nightstolasthim，andefthevalleysettlementshevn"tgotholdofaveryshiningmember，atleastthefoothillshevgotshutofonemoreoftheRamonMartinezgang。”

"What"sthatabouttheRamonMartinezgang？"saidaquietpotentialvoice。

Billturnedquickly。ItwasthevoiceoftheDivisionalSuperintendentoftheExpressCompany，——amanofeccentricdeterminationofcharacter，andoneofthefewwhomtheautocraticBillrecognizedasanequal，——whohadjustenteredthebarroom。

Hisdustypongeecloakandsofthatindicatedthathehadthatmorningarrivedonaroundofinspection。

"Don"tcareifIdo，Bill，"hecontinued，inresponsetoBill"sinvitatorygesture，walkingtothebar。"It"salittlerawoutontheroad。Well，whatwereyousayingaboutRamonMartinezgang？

Youhaven"tcomeacrossoneof"em，haveyou？"

"No，"saidBill，withaslightblinkingofhiseye，asheostentatiouslyliftedhisglasstothelight。

"AndyouWON"T，"addedtheSuperintendent，leisurelysippinghisliquor。"Forthefactis，thegangisaboutplayedout。Notfromwantofajobnowandthen，butfromthedifficultyofdisposingoftheresultsoftheirwork。Sincethenewinstructionstotheagentstoidentifyandtracealldustandbullionofferedtothemwentintoforce，yousee，theycan"tgetridoftheirswag。Allthegangarespottedattheoffices，anditcoststoomuchforthemtopayafenceoramiddlemanofanystanding。Why，allthatflakyrivergoldtheytookfromtheExcelsiorCompanycanbeidentifiedaseasyasifitwasstampedwiththecompany"smark。Theycan"tmeltitdownthemselves；theycan"tgetotherstodoitforthem；

theycan"tshipittotheMintorAssayOfficesinMarysvilleand"Frisco，fortheywon"ttakeitwithoutourcertificateandseals；

andWEdon"ttakeanyundeclaredfreightWITHINthelinesthatwe"vedrawnaroundtheirbeat，exceptfrompeopleandagentsknown。

Why，YOUknowthatwellenough，Jim，"hesaid，suddenlyappealingtotheExpressman，"don"tyou？"

PossiblythesuddennessoftheappealcausedtheExpressmantoswallowhisliquorthewrongway，forhewasovertakenwithafitofcoughing，andstammeredhastilyashelaiddownhisglass，"Yes——ofcourse——certainly。”

"No，sir，"resumedtheSuperintendentcheerfully，"they"reprettywellplayedout。Andthebestproofofitisthatthey"velatelybeenrobbingordinarypassengers"trunks。Therewasafreightwagon"heldup"nearDow"sFlattheotherday，andalotofbaggagegonethrough。Ihadtogodowntheretolookintoit。Darnediftheyhadn"tliftedaloto"woman"sweddingthingsfromthatrichcouplewhogotmarriedtheotherdayoutatMarysville。Looksasiftheywereplayingitratherlowdown，don"tit？Comingdowntohardpanandthebedrock——eh？"

TheExpressman"sfacewasturnedanxiouslytowardsBill，who，afterahurriedgulpofhisremainingliquor，stillstoodstaringatthewindow。Thenheslowlydrewononeofhislargegloves。"Yedidn"t，"hesaid，withaslow，drawling，butperfectlydistinct，articulation，"happentoknowold"Skinner"Hemmingswhenyouwereoverthere？"

"Yes。”

"Andhisdaughter？"

"Hehasn"tgotany。”

"Asorto"mild，innocent，guilelesschildofnature？"persistedBill，withayellowface，adeadlycalmandSatanicdeliberation。

"No。ItellyouheHASN"Tanydaughter。OldmanHemmingsisaconfirmedoldbachelor。He"stoomeantosupportmorethanone。”

"Andyoudidn"thappentoknowanyo"thatgang，didye？"continuedBill，withinfiniteprotraction。

"Yes。Knew"emall。TherewasFrenchPete，CherokeeBob，KanakaJoe，One-eyedStillson，SoftyBrown，SpanishJack，andtwoorthreeGreasers。”

"Andyedidn"tknowamanbythenameofCharleyByng？"

"No，"returnedtheSuperintendent，withaslightsuggestionofwearinessandadistraughtglancetowardsthedoor。

"Adark，stylishchap，withshiftyblackeyesandacurled-upmerstache？"continuedBill，withdry，colorlesspersistence。

"No。Lookhere，Bill，I"minalittlebitofahurry——butI

supposeyoumusthaveyourlittlejokebeforewepart。Now，whatisyourlittlegame？"

"Wotyoumean？"demandedBill，withsuddenbrusqueness。

"Mean？Well，oldman，youknowaswellasIdo。You"regivingmetheverydescriptionofRamonMartinezhimself，ha!ha!No——Bill!

youdidn"tplaymethistime。You"remightyspryandclever，butyoudidn"tcatchonjustthen。”

Henoddedandmovedawaywithalightlaugh。BillturnedastonyfacetotheExpressman。Suddenlyagleamofmirthcameintohisgloomyeyes。Hebentovertheyoungman，andsaidinahoarse，chucklingwhisper:——

"ButIgotevenafterall!"

"How？"

"He"stieduptothatlyinglittleshe-devil，hardandfast!"

THEREFORMATIONOFJAMESREDDY。

I。

Itwasafreshlyfurrowedfield，solargethattheeyeatfirstscarcelytookinitsmagnitude。Theirregularsurfaceofupturned，oily，wave-shapedclodstooktheappearanceofavast，black，choppingsea，thatreachedfromtheactualshoreofSanFranciscoBaytothelowhillsoftheCoastRange。Thesea-breezethatblewchillyoverthisbleakexpanseaddedtothatfancy，andthelineofstragglingwhitewashedfarmbuildings，thathalfwayacrossliftedthemselvesaboveit，seemedtobeplacedonanislandinitsmidst。

Eventheoneortwohuge，misshapenagriculturalmachines，abandonedinthefurrows，boreanoddresemblancetohulksorbargesadriftuponitswaste。

Thismarinesuggestionwasequallynoticeablefromthedoorofoneofthefarmbuildings——along，detachedwoodenshed——intowhichanumberoffarmlaborerswereslowlyfiling，althoughonemanwasapparentlyenoughimpressedbyittolingerandgazeoverthatrigidsea。Exceptintheirroughdressandthelabor-stainsofsoilontheirhandsandfaces，theyrepresentednoparticulartypeorclass。Theywereyoungandold，robustanddelicate，dullandintelligent；kepttogetheronlybysomephilosophical，careless，orhumorousacceptanceofequallyenforcedcircumstanceintheirlabors，asconvictsmighthavebeen。FortheyhadbeenpickeduponthestreetsandwharvesofSanFrancisco，——dischargedsailors，broken-downminers，helplessnewcomers，unemployedprofessionalmen，andruinedtraders，——toassistinploughingandplantingcertainbroadleaguesofrichalluvialsoilforaspeculativeJointStockCompany，ataweeklywagethatwouldhavemadeanEuropeanpeasantindependentforhalfayear。Yettherewasnoenthusiasmintheirlabor，althoughitwasseldommarkedbyabsolutelazinessorevasion，andwasmoreoftenhinderedbyill-regulated"spurts"

andexcessiveeffort，asifthelaborerwasanxioustogetthroughwithit；forinthefewconfidencestheyexchangedtherewaslittleallusiontothepresent，andtheytalkedchieflyofwhattheyweregoingtodowhentheirworkwasover。Theyweregregariousonlyattheirmealsinoneofthesheds，orwhenatnighttheysoughttheir"bunks"orberthstogetherinthelargerbuilding。

Themanwhohadlingeredtolookatthedrearyprospecthadasomewhatgloomy，discontentedface，whosesensitivelinesindicatedacertainsusceptibilitytosuchimpressions。Hewasfurtherdistinguishedbyhavingalsolingeredlongerwiththewashingofhishandsandfaceinthebatteredtinbasinonastoolbesidethedoor，andbythecircumstancethattheoperationrevealedthefactthattheywerewhiterthanthoseofhiscompanions。Dryinghisfingersslowlyonthelongroller-towel，hestoodgazingwithakindofhardabstractionacrossthedarkeningfield，thestripoffadedcolorlessshore，andthechillgraysea，tothedividingpointoflandontheoppositecoast，whichinthedyingdaylightwassilhouettedagainstthecoldhorizon。

Heknewthataroundthatpointandbehinditlaythefierce，half-

grown，half-tamedcityofyesterdaythathadworkedhisruin。

Itwasscarcelyayearagothathehadplungedintoitswildestexcesses，——arecklessgambleramongspeculators，ahopelessspeculatoramonggamblers，untilthelittlefortunehehadbroughtthitherhadbeensweptaway。

Fromtimetotimehehadkeptuphisfailingspiritwiththefeverishexaltationofdissipation，until，awakeningfromadrunkard"sdreamonemorning，hehadfoundhimselfonboardasteamboatcrossingthebay，incompanywithagangoffarmlaborerswithwhomhewashired。Abittersmilecrossedhislipsashiseyeshoveredoverthecold，ruggedfieldsbeforehim。Yetheknewthattheyhadsavedhim。Theunaccustomedmanuallaborintheopenair，theregularhours，thesilent，heavy，passionlessnights，theplainbutwholesomefood，wereallslowlyrestoringhisyouthandstrengthagain。Temptationandpassionhadalikefledtheseunlovelyfieldsandgrimemployment。Yethewasnotgrateful。Henursedhisdrearyconvalescenceashehadhispreviousdissipation，aspartofawrongdonehimbyoneforwhosesake，hewaswonttobelieve，hehadsacrificedhimself。Thatpersonwasawoman。

Turningatlastfromtheprospectandhisbittermemoriestojoinhiscompanions，hefoundthattheyhadallpassedin。Thebenchesbeforethelongtableonwhichsupperwasspreadwerealreadyfilled，andhestoodinhesitation，lookingdownthelineofsilentandhungrilypreoccupiedmenoneitherside。Ayounggirl，whowasstandingnearasmallerserving-table，apparentlyassistinganolderwomanindirectingtheoperationofhalfadozenChinesewaiters，movedforwardandclearedaplaceforhimataside-table，pushingbeforeittheonlychairintheroom，——theoneshehadlatelyvacated。Assheplacedsomeofthedishesbeforehimwithatimidostentation，andherlargebutwell-shapedhandscamesuddenlyincontactwith，andindirestcontrasttohisownwhiterandmoredelicateones，sheblushedfaintly。Heliftedhiseyestohers。

Hehadseenherhalfadozentimesbefore，forshewasthedaughteroftheranchsuperintendent，andoccasionallyassistedhermotherinthisculinarysupervision——whichdidnot，however，bringherintoanyfamiliarassociationwiththemen。Eventheyoungerones，perhapsfromover-consciousnessoftheirinferiorpositionorthepreoccupationoftheirlabor，neverindulgedinanygallantrytowardher，andhehimself，inhisrevulsionoffeelingagainstthewholesex，hadscarcelynoticedthatshewasgood-looking。Butthisnaiveexhibitionofpreferencecouldnotbeoverlooked，eitherbyhiscompanions，whosmiledcynicallyacrossthetable，orbyhimself，fromwhosemorbidfancyitstruckanignoblesuggestion。

Ah，well!thegirlwaspretty——thedaughterofhisemployer，whorumorsaidownedacontrollingshareinthecompany；whyshouldhenotmakethischancepreferenceleadtosomething，ifonlytoameliorate，inwayslikethis，hisdespicablepositionhere。Heknewthevalueofhisowngoodlooks，hissuperioreducation，andacertainrecklessnesswhichwomenliked；whyshouldhenotprofitbythemaswellastheonewomanwhohadbroughthimtothis？Heowedhersexnothing；ifthoseamongthemwhowerenotbadwereonlyfools，therewasnoreasonwhyheshouldnotdeceivethemastheyhadhim。Therewasallthissmallaudacityandcynicalpurposeinhisbrowneyesashedeliberatelyfixedthemonhers。AndIgrievetosaythattheseabominablesentimentsseemedonlytoimparttothemacertainattractivebrilliancy，andadeterminationwhichtheundeterminingsexisapttoadmire。

Sheblushedagain，droppedhereyes，repliedtohissignificantthankswithafewindistinctwords，anddrewawayfromthetablewithasuddentimiditythatwashalfconfession。

Shedidnotapproachhimagainduringthemeal，butseemedtohavetakenasuddeninterestintheefficiencyofthewaiters，generally，whichshehadnotshownbefore。Idonotknowwhetherthiswasmerelyaneffortatconcealment，oranawakenedrecognitionofherduty；but，afterthefashionofhersex，——andperhapsincontrasttohis，——shewaskinderthateveningtotheaveragemanonaccountofHIM。Hedidnot，however，noticeit；nordidherabsenceinterferewithhisnowhealthyappetite；hefinishedhismeal，andonlywhenherosetotakehishatfromthepegabovehimdidheglancearoundtheroom。Theireyesmetagain。Ashepassedout，althoughitwasdark，heputonhishatalittlemoresmartly。

Theairwasclearandcold，buttheoutlinesofthelandscapehadvanished。Hiscompanions，withtheinstinctoftiredanimals，werealreadymakingtheirwayinknotsoftwoorthree，orinsilentfile，acrosstheinterveningspacebetweenthebuildingandtheirdormitory。Afewhadalreadylittheirpipesandwerewalkingleisurely，butthemajoritywerehurryingfromthechillsea-breezetothewarmthandcomfortofthelong，well-litroom，linedwithblanketedberths，andsetwithplainwoodenchairsandtables。Theyoungmanlingeredforamomentonthewoodenplatformoutsidethedining-shed，——partlytoevadethisonlysocialgatheringofhisfellowsastheyretiredforthenight，andpartlyattractedbyastrangefascinationtothefaintdistantglow，beyondthepointofland，whichindicatedthelightsofSanFrancisco。

Therewasaslightrustlebehindhim!Itwastheyounggirlwho，withawhitewoolenscarfthrownoverherheadandshoulders，hadjustlefttheroom。Shestartedwhenshesawhim，andforaninstanthesitated。

"Youaregoinghome，MissWoodridge？"hesaidpleasantly。

"Yes，"shereturned，inafaint，embarrassedvoice。"IthoughtI"drunonaheadofma!"

"Willyouallowmetoaccompanyyou？"

"It"sonlyastep，"sheprotested，indicatingthelightinthewindowofthesuperintendent"shouse，themostremoteofthegroupofbuildings，yetscarcelyaquarterofamiledistant。

"Butit"squitedark，"hepersistedsmilingly。

Shesteppedfromtheplatformtotheground；heinstantlyfollowedandrangedhimselfatalittledistancefromherside。Sheprotestedstillfeeblyagainsthis"troublinghimself，"butinanothermomenttheywerewalkingonquietlytogether。

Nevertheless，afewpacesfromtheplatformtheycameupontheupheavedclodsofthefreshfurrows，andtheirprogressoverthemwasslowanddifficult。

"ShallIhelpyou？Willyoutakemyarm？"hesaidpolitely。

"No，thankyou，Mr。Reddy。”

So!sheknewhisname!Hetriedtolookintohereyes，butthewoolenscarfhidherhead。Afterall，therewasnothingstrangeinherknowinghim；sheprobablyhadthenamesofthemenbeforeherinthedining-room，oronthebooks。Afterapausehesaid:——

"Youquitestartledme。Onebecomessuchamereworkingmachineherethatonequiteforgetsone"sownname，——especiallywiththeprefixof"Mr。""

"Andifitdon"thappentobeone"srealnameeither，"saidthegirl，withanodd，timidaudacity。

Helookedupquickly——moreattractedbyhermannerthanherwords；

moreamusedthanangry。

"ButReddyhappenstobemyrealname。”

"Oh!"

"Whatmadeyouthinkitwasnot？"

TheclodsoverwhichtheywereclamberingweresouneventhatsometimestheyounggirlwasmountingoneatthesamemomentthatReddywasdescendingfromanother。Herreply，halfmuffledinhershawl，wasdeliveredoverhishead。"Oh，becausepasaysmostofthemenheredon"tgivetheirrealnames——theydon"tcaretobeknownafterward。Ashamedoftheirwork，Ireckon。”

Hisfaceflushedamoment，eveninthedarkness。HeWASashamedofhiswork，andperhapsalittleofthepitifulsporthewasbeginning。Butoddlyenough，theaggressivecriticismonlywhettedhispurpose。Thegirlwasevidentlyquiteabletotakecareofherself；whyshouldhebeover-chivalrous？

"Itisn"tverypleasanttobedoingtheworkofahorse，anox，oramachine，ifyoucandootherthings，"hesaidhalfseriously。

"Butyouneverusedtodoanythingatall，didyou？"sheasked。

Hehesitated。Herewasachancetogiveheranaffectinghistoryofhisformerexaltedfortuneandposition，andperhapseventostirherevidentlyromanticnaturewithsomesuggestionofhissacrificestooneofherownsex。Womenlikedthatsortofthing。

Itarousedatoncetheiremulationandtheircondemnationofeachother。Heseizedtheopportunity，but——forsomereason，heknewnotwhy——awkwardlyandclumsily，withasimulatedpathosthatwaslachrymose，aself-assertionthatwasboastful，andadramaticmannerthatwasunreal。Suddenlythegirlstoppedhim。

"Yes，IknowallTHAT；patoldme。Toldmeyou"dbeengivenawaybysomewoman。”

Hisfaceagainflushed——thistimewithanger。Theutterfailureofhisstorytoexciteherinterest，andherperfectpossessionofherselfandthesituation，——sounlikeherconductafewmomentsbefore，——madehimsavagelysilent，andheclamberedonsullenlyatherside。Presentlyshestopped，balancingherselfwithadexterityhecouldnotimitateononeofthelargerupheavedclods，andsaid: