第7章

"Ellen，you’reonlyyoungan’lonelyan’bitter。Nomother——nofriends——noonebutalotofroughmen！It’sawonderyouhevkeptyourselfgood。Butnowyoureyesareopen，Ellen。They’rebravean’beautifuleyes，girl，an’ifyoustandbythelightinthemyouwillcomethroughanytrouble。An’you’llbehappy。Don’teverforgitthat。Lifeishardenough，Godknows，butit’sunfailin’

trueintheendtothemanorwomanwhofindsthebestintheman’

standsbyit。"

"UncleJohn，y’utalkso——sokindly。Yumakemehavehope。Thereseemedreallysolittleformetolivefor——hopefor……ButI’llneverbeacowardagain——norathoughtlessfool。I’llfindsomegoodinme——ormakesome——andneverfailit，comewhatwill。I’llrememberyourwords。I’llbelievethefutureholdswonderfulthingsforme……

I’monlyeighteen。Shoreallmylifewon’tbelivedheah。Perhapsthisthreatenedfightoversheepandcattlewillblowover……

Somewheretheremustbesomenicegirltobeafriend——asistertome……Andmaybesomemanwho’dbelieve，inspiteofalltheysay——thatI’mnotahussy。"

"Wal，Ellen，youremindmeofwhatIwaswantin’totellyouwhenyoujustgothere……YestiddyIheerdyoucalledthetnameinabarroom。An’tharwasafellartharwhoraisedhell。Henearkilledonemanan’madeanotherplumbeathiswords。An’hescaredthetcrowdstiff。"

OldJohnSpragueshookhisgrizzledheadandlaughed，beaminguponEllenasifthememoryofwhathehadseenhadwarmedhisheart。

"Wasit——y’u？"askedEllen，tremulously。

"Me？Aw，Iwasn’tnowhere。Ellen，thisfellarwasquickasacatinhisactionsan’hiswordswaslikelightnin’。’

"Who？shewhispered。

"Wal，nooneelsebutastrangerjestcometotheseparts——anIsbel，too。JeanIsbel。"

"Oh！"exclaimedEllen，faintly。

"Inabarroomfullofmen——almostalloftheminsympathywiththesheepcrowd——mostofthemontheJorthside——thisJeanIsbelresentedaninsulttoEllenJorth。"

"No！"criedEllen。Somethingterriblewashappeningtohermindorherheart。

"Wal，hesuredid，"repliedtheoldman，"an，it’sgoin’tobegoodferyoutohearallaboutit。"

CHAPTERV

OldJohnSpraguelaunchedintohisnarrativewithevidentzest。

"IhungroundGreaves’storemostoftwodays。An’Iheerdaheap。

Someofitwasjestplainolemen’sgab，butIreckonIgotthedriftofthingsconcernin’GrassValley。Yestiddymornin’Iwaspackin’myburrosinGreaves’backyard，takin’mytimecarryin’outsuppliesfromthestore。An’aslastwhenIwentinIseenastrangefellarwasthar。

Strappin’youngman——notsoyoung，either——an’hehadonbuckskin。Hairblackasmyburros，darkface，sharpeyes——you’dtookhimferanInjun。

Hecarriedarifle——oneofthemnewforty—fours——an’alsosomethin’

wrappedinpaperthetheseemedparticklercarefulabout。Heworeabeltroundhismiddlean’tharwasabowie—knifeinit，carriedlikeI’veseenscoutsan’Injunfightershevonthefrontierinthe’seventies。Thatlookedqueertome，an’Ireckontotherestofthecrowdthar。Nooneoverlookedthebigsix—shooterhepackedTexasfashion。Wal，Ididn’thevnoideethisfellarwasanIsbeluntilIheardGreavescallhimthet。

"’Isbel，’saidGreaves，’reckonyourmoney’scounterfeithyar。

Icain’tsellyouanythin’。’

"’Counterfeit？Notmuch，’spokeuptheyoungfellar，an’heflippedsomegoldtwentiesonthebar，wheretheyrunglikebells。’Whynot？

Ain’tthisastore？Iwantacinchstrap。’

"Greaveslookedparticularsourthetmornin’。I’dbeenwatchin’himfertwodays。Hehedn’thedmuchsleep，ferIhedmybedbackofthestore，an’Iheerdmencomeinthenightan’hevlongconfabswithhim。

Whateverwasinthewindhedn’tpleasedhimnone。An’IcalkilatedthetyoungIsbelwasn’tasightgoodferGreaves’soreeyes，anyway。

ButhepaidnomoreattentiontoIsbel。Actedjestasifhehedn’theerdIsbelsayhewantedacinchstrap。

"Istayedinsidethestorethen。TharwasalotoffellarsI’dseen，an’someIknowed。Coupleofcardgamesgoin’，an’drinkin’，ofcourse。

Isoongatheredthetthegeneralatmospherewasn’tfriendlytoJeanIsbel。Heseenthetquickenough，buthedidn’tleave。Betweenyouan’meIsortoftookalikin’tohim。An’IsurewatchedhimascloseasIcould，notseemin’to，youknow。Reckontheyalldidthesame，onlyyoucouldn’tseeit。ItgotjestaboutthesameasifIsbelhedn’tbeeninthar，onlyyouknoweditwasn’treallythesame。ThetwashowIgotthehunchthecrowdwasallsheepmenortheirfriends。ThedaybeforeI’dheerdalotoftalkaboutthisyoungIsbel，an’whathe’dcometoGrassValleyfer，an’whatabadhombrehewas。An’whenI

seenhimIwasboundtoadmithelookedhisreputation。

"Wal，prettysoonincometwomorefellars，an’Iknowedbothofthem。

Youknowthem，too，I’msorrytosay。FerI’mcomin’tofactsnowthetwillshakeyou。Thefirstfellarwasyourfather’sMexicanforeman，Lorenzo，andtheotherwasSimmBruce。IreckonBrucewasn’tdrunk，buthe’dsurebeenlookin’onredlicker。WhenheseenIsbeldarnmeifhedidn’tswellan’bustlealluplikeamadoleturkeygobbler。

"’Greaves，’hesaid，’ifthetfellar’sJeanIsbelIain’thankerin’

ferthecompanyy’ukeep。’An’hemadenobonesofpointin’rightatIsbel。Greaveslookedupdryan’souran’hebitoutspiteful—like:

’Wal，Simm，weain’thedahellofalotofchoiceinthisheahmatter。

Thet’sJeanIsbelshoreenough。Mebbeyoucanpersuadehimthethiscompanyan’hiscustomain’twantedroundheah！’

"JeanIsbelsetonthecounterantookitallin，buthedidn’tsaynothin’。ThewayhelookedatBrucewassureenoughfermetoseethettharmightbeasurpriseanyminnit。I’velookedatalotofmeninmyday，an’cansurefeeleventscomin’。Brucegothimselfastiffdrinkan’thenhestraddlesoverthefloorinfrontofIsbel。

"’AiryouJeanIsbel，sonofoleGassIsbel？’askedBruce，sortoflollingbackan’givin’ahitchtohisbelt。

"’Yessir，you’veidentifiedme，’saidIsbel，nicean’polite。

"’Myname’sBruce。I’mrangin’sheepheahaboots，an，IhevinterestinKurnelLeeJorth’sbizness。’

"’Hoddo，MisterBruce，’repliedIsbel，verycivilantcoolasyouplease。Brucehedaneyeferthecrowdthetwasnowlistenin’an’

watchin’。HeswaggeredclosertoIsbel。

"’Weheerdy’ucomeintotheTontoBasintorunussheepmenofftherange。Howabootthet？’

"’Wal，youheerdwrong，’saidIsbel，quietly。’Icametoworkfermyfather。Thetworkdependsonwhathappens。’

"Brucebegantogitredderofface，an’heshookahuskyhandinfrontofIsbel。’I’lltelly’uthisheah，myNezPerceIsbel——’an’

whenhesortofchokedfermorewindGreavesspokeup，’Simm，IshorereckonthetNezPercehandlewillstick。’An’thecrowdhaw—hawed。

ThenBrucegotgoin’ag’in。’I’lltelly’uthisheah，NezPerce。

Thar’sbeenenoughhappenalreadytoruny’uoutofArizona。’

"’Wal，youdon’tsay！What，ferinstance？，askedIsbel，quickan’

sarcastic。

"ThetmadeBrucebustoutpuffin’an’spittin’:’Wha—tt，ferinstance？

Huh！Why，y’udarnhalf—breed，y’u’llgitrunoutfermakin’uptoEllenJorth。Thetwon’tgointhisheahcountry。NotferanyIsbel。’

"’You’realiar，’calledIsbel，an’likeabigcathedroppedoffthecounter。Iheerdhismoccasinspatsoftonthefloor。An’Ibettomyselfthethewasasdangerousashewasquick。Buthisvoicean’

hislooksdidn’tchangeevenaleetle。

"’I’mnotaliar，’yelledBruce。’I’llmakey’ueatthet。IcanprovewhatIsay……Y’uwasseenwithEllenJorth——upontheRim——daybeforeyestiddy。Y’uwaswatched。Y’uwaswithher。Y’umadeuptoher。Y’ugrabbedheran’kissedher！……An’I’mheahtosay，NezPerce，thety’u’reamarkedmanonthisrange。’

"’Whosawme？’askedIsbel，quietan’cold。Iseenthenthethe’dturnedwhiteintheface。

"’Yucain’tlieoutofit，’holleredBruce，wavin’hishands。

’Wegoty’udaidtorights。Lorenzosawy’u——folleredy’u——watchedy’u。’Brucepointedatthegrinnin’greaser。’LorenzoisKurnelJorth’sforeman。Heseeny’umaulin’ofEllenJorth。An’whenhetellstheKurnelan’TadJorthan’JacksonJorth！……Haw！Haw！

Haw！Why，hell’dbeacoolerplaceferyuthenthisheahTonto。’

"Greavesan’hisganghedcomeround，suretickledcleantothargizzardsatthismess。Inoticed，howsomever，thettheywasTexansenoughtokeepbacktoonesideincasethisIsbelstartedanyaction……Wal，IsbeltookalookatLorenzo。Thenwithoneswiftgrabhejerkedthelittlegreaseroffhisfeetan’pulledhimclose。Lorenzostoppedgrinnin’。Hebegantolookaleetlesick。Butitwasplainhehedrightonhisside。

"’Yousayyousawme？’demandedIsbel。

"’Si，senor，’repliedLorenzo。

"Whatdidyousee？’

"’Iseesenoran’senorita。Ihidebymanzanita。Iseesenoritalikegrandesenorvermooch。Shelikesenorkeese。She——’

"ThenIsbelhitthelittlegreaseraback—handedcrackinthemouth。

Sureitwasacrack！Lorenzowentoverthecounterbackwardan’landedlikeapackloadofwood。An’hedidn’tgitup。

"’MisterBruce，’saidIsbel，’an’youfellarswhoheerdthetlyin’

greaser，IdidmeetEllenJorth。An’Ilostmyhead。I’Ikissedher……Butitwasanaccident。Imeantnoinsult。Iapologized——Itriedtoexplainmycrazyaction……Thetwasall。Thegreaserlied。EllenJorthwaskindenoughtoshowmethetrail。Wetalkedalittle。Then——I

suppose——becauseshewasyoungan’prettyan’sweet——Ilostmyhead。Shewasabsolutelyinnocent。Thetdamnedgreasertoldabare—facedliewhenhesaidshelikedme。Thefactwasshedespisedme。Shesaidso。An’

whenshelearnedIwasJeanIsbelsheturnedherbackonmean’walkedaway。"’

AtthispointofhisnarrativetheoldmanhaltedasiftoimpressEllennotonlywithwhatjusthadbeentold，butparticularlywithwhatwastofollow。TherecitingofthistalehadevidentlygivenSpragueanunconsciouspleasure。Heglowed。Heseemedtocarrytheburdenofasecretthatheyearnedtodivulge。AsforEllen，shewasdeadlockedinbreathlesssuspense。Allheremotionswaitedfortheend。

ShebeggedSpraguetohurry。

"Wal，IwishIcouldskipthenextchapteran’hevonlythelasttotell，"rejoinedtheoldman，andheputaheavy，butsolicitous，handuponhers……SimmBrucehaw—hawedloudan’loud……’Say，NezPerce，’hecallsout，mostinsolent—like，’weairtoogoodsheepmenheahtohevthewoolpulledoveroureyes。Weshoreknowwhaty’umeantbyEllenJorth。Buty’uwasn’tsmartwheny’utoldhery’uwasJeanIsbel！……Haw—haw！’

"Isbelflashedastrange，surprisedlookfromthered—facedBrucetoGreavesandtotheothermen。Itakeithewaswonderin’ifhe’dheerdrightorifthey’dgotthesamehunchthet’dcometohim。

An’Ireckonhedeterminedtomakesure。

"’Whywasn’tIsmart？’heasked。

"’Shorey’uwasn’tsmartify’uwasaimin’tobeoneofEllenJorth’slovers，’saidBruce，withaleer。’Ferify’uhedn’tgivey’urselfawayy’ucouldhevbeeneasyenough。’

"Tharwasnomistakin’Bruce’smeanin’an’whenhegotitoutsomeofthementharlaughed。Isbelkeptlookin’fromonetoanotherofthem。

Thenfacin’Greaves，hesaid，deliberately:’Greaves，thisdrunkenBruceisexcuseenoughferashow—down。Itakeitthatyouaresheepmen，an’you’regoin’onJorth’ssideofthefenceinthematterofthissheeprangin’。’

"’Wal，NezPerce，Ireckonyouhitplumbcenter，’saidGreaves，dryly。

Hespreadwidehisbighandstotheothermen，asiftosaythey’dmightaswellownthejigwasup。

"’Allright。You’reJorth’sbackers。HaveanyofyouawordtosayinEllenJorth’sdefense？ItellyoutheMexicanlied。Believin’meornotdoesn’tmatter。Butthisvile—mouthedBrucehintedagainstthetgirl’shonor。’

"Ag’insomeofthemenlaughed，butnotsonoisy，an’therewasanervousshufflin’offeet。Isbellookedsortofqueer。Hisneckhadabulgeroundhiscollar。An’hiseyeswaslikeblackcoalsoffire。Greavesspreadhisbighandsagain，asiftowashthemofthispartofthedirtyargument。

"’WhenitcomestoanywimmenIpass——muchlessplayahandferawildcatlikeJorth’sgurl，’saidGreaves，sortofcoldan’thick。

’Bruceshoreoughttoknowher。Accordin’totalkheahabootsan’

whatHEsays，EllenJorthhasbeenhisgurlfertwoyears。’

"ThenIsbelturnedhisattentiontoBrucean’Iferonebeguntoshakeinmyboots。

"’Saythettome！’hecalled。

"’Shoreshe’smygurl，an’thet’swhyIma—goin’tohevy’urunoffthisrange。’

"IsbeljumpedatBruce。’Youdamneddrunkencur！Youvile—mouthedliar！……ImaybeanIsbel，butbyGodyoucain’tslanderthetgirltomyface！……ThenhemovedsoquickIcouldn’tseewhathedid。

ButIheerdhisfisthitBruce。Itsoundedlikeanaxag’in’abeef。

Brucefellclearacrosstheroom。An’byJinnywhenhelandedIsbelwasthar。AsBrucestaggeredup，allbloody—faced，bellowin’an’

spittin’outteethIsbeleyedGreaves’scrowdan’said:’Ifanyofy’umakeamoveit’llmeangun—play。’Nobodymoved，thet’ssure。

Infact，noneofGreaves’soutfitwaspackin’guns，atleastinsight。

WhenBrucegotallthewayup——he’satallfellar——whyIsbeltookafullswingathiman’knockedhimbackacrosstheroomag’in’thecounter。Y’uknowwhenafellar’shurtbythewayheyells。Brucegotthetsecondsmashrightonhisbigrednose……IneverseenanyonesoquickasIsbel。HevaultedoverthetcounterjestthesecondBrucefellbackonit，an’then，withGreaves’sganginfrontsohecouldcatchanymovesoftheirs，hejestsluggedBrucerightan’left，an’bangedhisheadonthecounter。ThenasBrucesunklimpan’slippeddown，lookin’likeabloodysack，Isbellethimfalltothefloor。Thenhevaultedbackoverthecounter。Wipin’

thebloodoffhishands，hethrowedhiskerchiefdowninBruce’sface。Brucewasn’tdeadorbadhurt。He’djestbeenbeatenbad。

Hewasmoanin’an’slobberin’。Isbelkickedhim，nothard，butjestsortofdisgustful。Thenhefacedthetcrowd。’Greaves，thet’swhatIthinkofyourSimmBruce。Tellhimnexttimeheseesmetorunorpullagun。’An’thenIsbelgrabbedhisriflean’packageoffthecounteran’wentout。Hedidn’tevenlookback。Iseenhimnounthishorsean’rideaway……Now，girl，whathevyoutosay？"

Ellencouldonlysaygood—byandthewordwassolowastobealmostinaudible。Sherantoherburro。Shecouldnotseeveryclearlythroughtear—blurredeyes，andhershakingfingerswereallthumbs。

Itseemedshehadtorushaway——somewhere，anywhere——nottogetawayfromoldJohnSprague，butfromherself——thispalpitating，burstingselfwhosefeetstumbleddownthetrail。All——allseemedendedforher。Thatinterminablestory！Ithadtakensolong。Andeveryminuteofitshehadbeenhelplesslytornasunderbyfeelingsshehadneverknownshepossessed。ThisEllenJorthwasanunknowncreature。Shesobbednowasshedraggedtheburrodownthecanyontrail。Shesatdownonlytorise。Shehurriedonlytostop。Driven，pursued，barred，shehadnowaytoescapetheflayingthoughts，notimeorwilltorepudiatethem。Thedeathofhergirlhood，therendingasideofaveilofmaidenmysteryonlyvaguelyinstinctivelyguessed，thebarren，sordidtruthofherlifeasseenbyherenlightenedeyes，thebitterrealizationofthevilenessofmenofherclanincontrasttothemanlinessandchivalryofanenemy，thehardfactsofunalterablereputeascreatedbyslanderandfosteredbylowminds，allthesewereforcesinacataclysmthathadsuddenlycaughtherheartandwhirledherthroughchangesimmenseandagonizing，tobringherfacetofacewithreality，toforceuponhersuspicionanddoubtofallshehadtrusted，towarnherofthedark，impendinghorrorofatragicbloodyfeud，andlastlytoteachherthesupremetruthatoncesogloriousandsoterrible——thatshecouldnotescapethedoomofwomanhood。

AboutnoonthatdayEllenJortharrivedattheKnoll，whichwasthelocationofherfather’sranch。Threecanyonsmettheretoformalargerone。Theknollwasasymmetricalhillsituatedatthemouthofthethreecanyons。Itwascoveredwithbrushandcedars，withhereandtherelichenedrocksshowingabovethebleachedgrass。BelowtheKnollwasawide，grassyflatormeadowthroughwhichawillow—borderedstreamcutitsruggedboulder—strewnbed。Waterflowedabundantlyatthisseason，andthedeepwashesleadingdownfromtheslopesattestedtothefactofcloudburstsandheavystorms。Thismeadowvalleywasdottedwithhorsesandcattle，andmeanderedawaybetweenthetimberedslopestoloseitselfinagreencurve。Asingularfeatureofthiscanyonwasthataheavygrowthofsprucetreescoveredtheslopefacingnorthwest;

andtheoppositeslope，exposedtothesunandthereforelesssnowboundinwinter，heldasparsegrowthofyellowpines。TheranchhouseofColonelJorthstoodroundtheroughcomerofthelargestofthethreecanyons，andratherwellhidden，itdidnotobtrudeitsrudeandbroken—downlogcabins，itssqualidsurroundings，itsblackmud—holesofcorralsuponthebeautifulandserenemeadowvalley。

EllenJorthapproachedherhomeslowly，withdragging，reluctantsteps;

andneverbeforeinthethreeunhappyyearsofherexistencetherehadtheranchseemedsobare，souncaredfor，sorepugnanttoher。Asshehadseenherselfwithclarifiedeyes，sonowshesawherhome。ThecabinthatEllenlivedinwithherfatherwasasingle—roomstructurewithonedoorandnowindows。Itwasabouttwentyfeetsquare。Thehuge，ragged，stonechimneyhadbeenbuiltontheoutside，withthewideopenfireplacesetinsidethelogs。Smokewasrisingfromthechimney。AsEllenhaltedatthedoorandbeganunpackingherburrosheheardtheloud，lazylaughterofmen。Anadjoininglogcabinhadbeenbuiltintwosections，withawideroofedhallorspacebetweenthem。Thedoorineachcabinfacedtheother，andtherewasatallmanstandinginone。EllenrecognizedDaggs，aneighborsheepman，whoevidentlyspentmoretimewithherfatherthanathisownhome，whereverthatwas。Ellenhadneverseenit。Sheheardthismandrawl，"Jorth，heah’syourkidcomehome。"

Ellencarriedherbedinsidethecabin，andunrolledituponacouchbuiltofboughsinthefarcorner。ShehadforgottenJeanIsbel’spackage，andnowitfelloutunderhersight。Quicklyshecoveredit。

AMexicanwoman，relativeofAntonio，andtheonlyservantabouttheplace，wassquattingIndianfashionbeforethefireplace，stirringapotofbeans。SheandEllendidnotgetalongwelltogether，andfewwordseverpassedbetweenthem。Ellenhadacanvascurtainstretcheduponawireacrossasmalltriangularcomer，andthisaffordedheralittleprivacy。Herpossessionswerelimitedinnumber。Thecrudesquaretableshehadconstructedherself。Uponitwasalittleold—fashionedwalnut—framedmirror，abrushandcomb，andadilapidatedebonycabinetwhichcontainedoddsandendsthesightofwhichalwaysbroughtasmileofderisiveself—pitytoherlips。Underthetablestoodanoldleathertrunk。IthadcomewithherfromTexas，andcontainedclothingandbelongingsofhermother’s。Abovethecouchonpegshungherscantwardrobe。Atinyshelfheldseveralworn—outbooks。

Whenherfathersleptindoors，whichwasseldomexceptinwinter，heoccupiedacouchintheoppositecorner。Arudecupboardhadbeenbuiltagainstthelogsnexttothefireplace。Itcontainedsuppliesandutensils。Towardthecenter，somewhatclosertothedoor，stoodacrudetableandtwobenches。Thecabinwasdarkandsmelledofsmoke，ofthestaleodorsofpastcookedmeals，ofthemustinessofdry，rottingtimber。Streaksoflightshowedthroughtheroofwheretherough—hewnshingleshadsplitorweathered。Astripofbaconhungupononesideofthecupboard，andupontheotherahaunchofvenison。EllendetestedtheMexicanwomanbecauseshewasdirty。

TheinsideofthecabinpresentedthesameunkemptappearanceusualtoitafterEllenhadbeenawayforafewdays。WhateverEllenhadlostduringtheretrogressionoftheJorths，shehadkeptherhabitsofcleanliness，andstraightwayuponherreturnshesettowork。

TheMexicanwomansullenlyslouchedawaytoherownquartersoutsideandEllenwaslefttothesatisfactionoflabor。Hermindwasasbusyasherhands。Asshecleanedandsweptanddustedsheheardfromtimetotimethevoicesofmen，theclip—clopofshodhorses，thebellowofcattle。Andaconsiderabletimeelapsedbeforeshewasdisturbed，Atallshadowdarkenedthedoorway。

"Howdy，littleone！"saidalazy，drawlingvoice。"Soy’u—allgothome？"

Ellenlookedup。Asuperblybuiltmanleanedagainstthedoorpost。

LikemostTexans，hewaslighthairedandlighteyed。Hisfacewaslinedandhard。Hislong，sandymustachehidhismouthanddroopedwithacurl。Spurred，booted，belted，packingaheavygunlowdownonhiship，hegaveEllenanentirelynewimpression。Indeed。shewasseeingeverythingstrangely。

"Hello，Daggs！"repliedEllen。"Where’smydad？"

"He’splayin’cairdswithJacksonan’Colter。Shore’splayin’bad，too，an’it’sgonetohishaid。"

"Gamblin’？"queriedEllen。

"Mahchild，when’dKurnelJortheverplayforfun？"saidDaggs，withalazylaugh。"There’sastackofgoldonthetable。Reckonyo’uncleJacksonwillwinit。Colter’sshoreoutofluck。"

Daggssteppedinside。Hewasgracefulandslow。Hislong’spursclinked。HelaidarathercompellinghandonEllen’sshoulder。

"Heah，mahgal，giveusakiss，"hesaid。

"Daggs，I’mnotyourgirl，"repliedEllenassheslippedoutfromunderhishand。

ThenDaggsputhisarmroundher，notwithviolenceorrudeness，butwithanindolent，affectionateassurance，atonceboldandself—contained。Ellen，however，hadtoexertherselftogetfreeofhim，andwhenshehadplacedthetablebetweenthemshelookedhimsquareintheeyes。

"Daggs，y’ukeepyourpawsoffme，"shesaid。

"Aw，now，Ellen，Iain’tnobear，"heremonstrated。"What’sthematter，kid？"

"I’mnotakid。Andthere’snothin’thematter。Y’u’retokeepyourhandstoyourself，that’sall。"

Hetriedtoreachheracrossthetable，andhismovementswerelazyandslow，likehissmile。Histonewascoaxing。

"Mahdear，shoreyousetonmykneejusttheotherday，now，didn’tyou？"

Ellenfeltthebloodstinghercheeks。

"Iwasachild，"shereturned。

"Wal，listentothisheahgrown—upyoungwoman。Allinafewdays！……Doon’tbeinatemper，Ellen……Come，giveusakiss。"

Shedeliberatelygazedintohiseyes。Liketheeyesofaneagle，theywereclearandhard，justnowwarmedbythedallianceofthemoment，buttherewasnolight，nointelligenceinthemtoproveheunderstoodher。TheinstantseparatedEllenimmeasurablyfromhimandfromallofhisilk。

"Daggs，Iwasachild，"shesaid。"Iwaslonely——hungryforaffection——Iwasinnocent。ThenIwascareless，too，andthoughtlesswhenI

shouldhaveknownbetter。ButIhardlyunderstoody’umen。Iputsuchthoughtsoutofmymind。Iknownow——knowwhaty’umean——whaty’uhavemadepeoplebelieveIam。"

"Ahuh！ShoreIgetyourhunch，"hereturned，withachangeoftone。

"ButIaskedyoutomarryme？"

"Yesy’udid。Thefirstdayy’ugotheahtomydad’shouse。Andy’uaskedmetomarryy’uaftery’ufoundy’ucouldn’thaveyourwaywithme。

Toy’utheonedidn’tmeananymorethantheother。"

"ShoreIdidmorethanSimmBrucean’Colter，"heretorted。

"Theyneveraskedyoutomarry。"

"No，theydidn’t。AndifIcouldrespectthematallI’ddoitbecausetheydidn’taskme。"

"Wal，I’llbedog—goned！"ejaculatedDaggs，thoughtfully，ashestrokedhislongmustache。

"I’llsaytothemwhatI’vesaidtoy’u，"wentonEllen。"I’lltelldadtomakey’uletmealone。Iwouldn’tmarryoneofy’u——y’uloaferstosavemylife。I’vemysuspicionsabouty’u。Y’u’reabadlot。"

Daggschangedsubtly。Thewholeindolentnonchalanceofthemanvanishedinaninstant。

"Wal，MissJorth，Ireckonyoumeanwe’reabadlotofsheepmen？"hequeried，inthecool，easyspeechofaTexan。

"No，"flashedEllen。"ShoreIdon’tsaysheepmen。Isayy’u’reaBADLOT。"

"Oh，thehellyousay！"Daggsspokeashemighthavespokentoaman;

thenturningswiftlyonhisheelhelefther。OutsideheencounteredEllen’sfather。SheheardDaggsspeak:"Lee，yourlittlewildcatisshoreheah。An’takemahhunch。Somebodyhasbeentalkin’toher。"

"Whohas？"askedherfather，inhishuskyvoice。Ellenknewatoncethathehadbeendrinking。

"Lordonlyknows，"repliedDaggs。"Butshoreitwasn’tanyfriendsofours。"

"Wecain’tstoppeople’stongues，"saidJorth，resignedly"Wal，Iain’tsoshore，"continuedDaggs，withhisslow，coollaugh。

"ReckonIneveryetheardanydaidmen’stongueswag。"

Thenthemusicaltinkleofhisspurssoundedfainter。AmomentlaterEllen’sfatherenteredthecabin。Hisdark，moodyfacebrightenedatsightofher。Ellenknewshewastheonlypersonintheworldleftforhimtolove。Andshewassureofhislove。Herverypresencealwaysmadehimdifferent。Andthroughtheyears，thedarkertheirmisfortunes，thefartherheslippedawayfrombetterdays，themoreshelovedhim。

"Hello，myEllen！"hesaid，andheembracedher。Whenhehadbeendrinkingheneverkissedher。"ShoreI’mgladyou’rehome。Thisheahholeisbadenoughanytime，butwhenyou’regoneit’sblack……

I’mhungry。"

Ellenlaidfoodanddrinkonthetable;andforalittlewhileshedidnotlookdirectlyathim。Shewasconcernedaboutthisnewsearchingpowerofhereyes。Inrelationtohimshevaguelydreadedit。

LeeJorthhadoncebeenasingularlyhandsomeman。Hewastall，butdidnothavethefigureofahorseman。Hisdarkhairwasstreakedwithgray，andwaswhiteoverhisears。Hisfacewassallowandthin，withdeeplines。Underhisround，prominent，browneyes，likedeadenedfurnaces，wereblueswollenwelts。Hehadabittermouthandweakchin，notwhollyconcealedbygraymustacheandpointedbeard。Heworealongfrockcoatandawide—brimmedsombrero，bothblackincolor，andsooldandstainedandfrayedthatalongwiththefashionofthemtheybetrayedthattheyhadcomefromTexaswithhim。Jorthalwayspersistedinwearingawhitelinenshirt，likewisearelicofhisSouthernprosperity，andto—dayitwasraggedandsoiledasusual。

Ellenwatchedherfathereatandwaitedforhimtospeak。Itoccuredtoherstrangelythatheneveraskedaboutthesheeporthenew—bornlambs。Shedivinedwithasubtlenewwoman’sintuitionthathecarednothingforhissheep。

"Ellen，whatriledDaggs？"inquiredherfather，presently。"Heshorehadfireinhiseye。"

LongagoEllenhadbetrayedanindignityshehadsufferedatthehandsofaman。Herfatherhadnearlykilledhim。Sincethenshehadtakencaretokeephertroublestoherself。IfherfatherhadnotbeenblindandabsorbedinhisownbroodinghewouldhaveseenathousandthingssufficienttoinflamehisSouthernprideandtemper。

"DaggsaskedmetomarryhimagainandIsaidhebelongedtoabadlot，"

shereplied。