\"Whathaveyougotagainsthim？\"inquiredDuane，ashesatdownbesideEuchre。Heaskedmoreforsomethingtosaythanfromrealinterest。Whatdidhecareaboutamean，haunted，craven—
facedcriminal？
\"Wal，mebbeI’mcross—grained，\"repliedEuchre，apologetically。
\"Shoreanoutlawan’rustlersuchasmecan’tbetouchy。ButI
neverstolenothin’butcattlefromsomerancherwhonevermissed’emanyway。ThetsneakBenson——hewasthemeansofputtin’alittlegirlinBland’sway。\"
\"Girl？\"queriedDuane，nowwithrealattention。
\"Shore。Bland’sgreatonwomen。I’lltellyouaboutthisgirlwhenwegetoutofhere。Someofthegangaregoin’tobesociable，an’Ican’ttalkaboutthechief。\"
Duringtheensuinghalf—houranumberofoutlawspassedbyDuaneandEuchre，haltedforagreetingorsatdownforamoment。Theywereallgruff，loud—voiced，merry，andgood—
natured。Duanerepliedcivillyandagreeablywhenhewaspersonallyaddressed;butherefusedallinvitationstodrinkandgamble。Evidentlyhehadbeenaccepted，inaway，asoneoftheirclan。NoonemadeanyhintofanallusiontohisaffairwithBosomer。DuanesawreadilythatEuchrewaswellliked。Oneoutlawborrowedmoneyfromhim:anotheraskedfortobacco。
BythetimeitwasdarkthebigroomwasfullofoutlawsandMexicans，mostofwhomwereengagedatmonte。Thesegamblers，especiallytheMexicans，wereintenseandquiet。Thenoiseintheplacecamefromthedrinkers，theloungers。Duanehadseengambling—resorts——someofthefamousonesinSanAntonioandElPaso，afewinbordertownswherelicensewentunchecked。ButthisplaceofJackrabbitBenson’simpressedhimasonewheregunsandkniveswereaccessoriestothegame。Tohisperhapsratherdistinguishingeyethemostprominentthingaboutthegamestersappearedtobetheirweapons。Onseveralofthetableswerepilesofsilver——Mexicanpesos——aslargeandhighasthecrownofhishat。TherewerealsopilesofgoldandsilverinUnitedStatescoin。Duaneneedednoexperiencedeyestoseethatbettingwasheavyandthatheavysumsexchangedhands。TheMexicansshowedasternerobsession，anintenserpassion。SomeoftheAmericansstakedfreely，nonchalantly，asbefittedmentowhommoneywasnothing。Theselatterweremanifestlywinning，fortherewerebrotheroutlawstherewhowageredcoinwithgrudging，sullen，greedyeyes。Boisteroustalkandlaughteramongthedrinkingmendrowned，exceptatintervals，thelow，brieftalkofthegamblers。Theclinkofcoinsoundedincessantly;sometimesjustlow，steadymusicalrings;andagain，whenapilewastumbledquickly，therewasasilverycrash。Hereanoutlawpoundedonatablewiththebuttofhisgun;thereanothernoisilypalmedarollofdollarswhilehestudiedhisopponent’sface。Thenoises，however，inBenson’sdendidnotcontributetoanyextenttothesinisteraspectoftheplace。Thatseemedtocomefromthegrimandrecklessfaces，fromthebent，intentheads，fromthedarklightsandshades。Therewerebrightlights，buttheseservedonlytomaketheshadows。Andintheshadowslurkedunrestrainedlustofgain，aspiritruthlessandreckless，asomethingatoncesuggestinglawlessness，theft，murder，andhell。
\"Bland’snothereto—night，\"Euchrewassaying。\"Helefttodayononeofhistrips，takin’Allowayan’someothers。Buthisotherman，Rugg，he’shere。Seehimstandin’withthemthreefellers，allclosetoBenson。Rugg’sthelittlebow—leggedmanwiththehalfofhisfaceshotoff。He’sone—eyed。Buthecanshoreseeoutoftheonehe’sgot。An’，darnme！there’sHardin。Youknowhim？He’sgotanoutlawgangasbigasBland’s。Hardinisstandin’nexttoBenson。Seehowquietan’
unassumin’helooks。Yes，thet’sHardin。HecomeshereonceinawhiletoseeBland。They’refriends，which’sshorestrange。
Doyouseethetgreaserthere——theonewithgoldan’laceonhissombrero？Thet’sManuel，aMexicanbandit。He’sagreatgambler。Comeshereoftentodrophiscoin。NexttohimisBillMarr——thefellerwiththebandanaroundhishead。Billrodeintheotherdaywithsomefreshbullet—holes。He’sbeenshotmore’nanyfellerIeverheardof。He’sfulloflead。Funny，becauseBill’snotroublehunter，an’，likeme，he’dratherrunthanshoot。Buthe’sthebestrustlerBland’sgot——agrandrider，an’awonderwithcattle。An’seethetow—headedyoungster。Thet’sKidFuller，thekidofBland’sgang。Fullerhashitthepacehard，an’hewon’tlasttheyearoutontheborder。Hekilledhissweetheart’sfather，gotrunoutofStaceytown，tooktostealin’hosses。An’nexthe’sherewithBland。Anotherboygonewrong，an’nowshoreahardnut。\"
EuchrewentoncallingDuane’sattentiontoothermen，justashehappenedtoglanceoverthem。Anyoneofthemwouldhavebeenamarkedmaninarespectablecrowd。Hereeachtookhisplacewithmoreorlessdistinction，accordingtotherecordofhispastwildprowessandhispresentpossibilities。Duane，realizingthathewastoleratedthere，receivedincarelessfriendlyspiritbythisterribleclassofoutcasts，experiencedafeelingofrevulsionthatamountedalmosttohorror。Washisbeingtherenotanuglydream？Whathadheincommonwithsuchruffians？Theninaflashofmemorycamethepainfulproof——hewasacriminalinsightofTexaslaw;he，too，wasanoutcast。
ForthemomentDuanewaswrappedupinpainfulreflections;butEuchre’sheavyhand，clappingwithawarningholdonhisarm，broughthimbacktooutsidethings。
Thehumofvoices，theclinkofcoin，theloudlaughterhadceased。Therewasasilencethatmanifestlyhadfollowedsomeunusualwordoractionsufficienttostilltheroom。Itwasbrokenbyaharshcurseandthescrapeofabenchonthefloor。
Somemanhadrisen。
\"Youstackedthecards，you——！\"
\"Saythattwice，\"anothervoicereplied，sodifferentinitscool，ominoustonefromtheother。
\"I’llsayittwice，\"returnedthefirstgamester，inhothaste。
\"I’llsayitthreetimes。I’llwhistleit。Areyoudeaf？Youlight—fingeredgent！Youstackedthecards！\"
Silenceensued，deeperthanbefore，pregnantwithmeaning。ForallthatDuanesaw，notanoutlawmovedforafullmoment。Thensuddenlytheroomwasfullofdisorderasmenroseandrananddivedeverywhere。
\"Runorduck！\"yelledEuchre，closetoDuane’sear。Withthathedashedforthedoor。Duaneleapedafterhim。Theyranintoajostlingmob。Heavygun—shotsandhoarseyellshurriedthecrowdDuanewaswithpell—melloutintothedarkness。Theretheyallhalted，andseveralpeepedinatthedoor。
\"WhowastheKidcallin’？\"askedoneoutlaw。
\"BudMarsh，\"repliedanother。
\"IreckonthemfustshotswasBud’s。AdiosKid。Itwascomin’
tohim，\"wentonyetanother。
\"Howmanyshots？\"
\"Threeorfour，Icounted。\"
\"Threeheavyan’onelight。ThetlightonewastheKid’s。38。
Listen！There’stheKidhollerin’now。Heain’tcashed，anyway。\"
Atthisjuncturemostoftheoutlawsbegantofilebackintotheroom。DuanethoughthehadseenandheardenoughinBenson’sdenforonenightandhestartedslowlydownthewalk。
PresentlyEuchrecaughtupwithhim。
\"Nobodyhurtmuch，which’sshoresomestrange，\"hesaid。\"TheKid——youngFullerthetIwastellin’youabout——hewasdrinkin’
an’losin’。Losthisnut，too，callin’BudMarshthetway。
Bud’sasstraightatcardsasanyof’em。SomebodygrabbedBud，whoshotintotheroof。An’Fuller’sarmwasknockedup。Heonlyhitagreaser。\"
CHAPTERVI
NextmorningDuanefoundthatamoodyanddespondentspellhadfastenedonhim。Wishingtobealone，hewentoutandwalkedatrailleadingroundtheriverbluff。Hethoughtandthought。
Afterawhilehemadeoutthatthetroublewithhimprobablywasthathecouldnotresignhimselftohisfate。Heabhorredthepossibilitychanceseemedtoholdinstoreforhim。Hecouldnotbelievetherewasnohope。Butwhattodoappearedbeyondhispowertotell。
Duanehadintelligenceandkeennessenoughtoseehisperil——thedangerthreateninghischaracterasaman，justasmuchasthatwhichthreatenedhislife。Hecaredvastlymore，hediscovered，forwhatheconsideredhonorandintegritythanhedidforlife。Hesawthatitwasbadforhimtobealone。
But，itappeared，lonelymonthsandperhapsyearsinevitablymustbehis。Anotherthingpuzzledhim。Inthebrightlightofdayhecouldnotrecallthestateofmindthatwashisattwilightorduskorinthedarknight。Bydaythesevisitationsbecametohimwhattheyreallywere——phantomsofhisconscience。Hecoulddismissthethoughtofthemthen。Hecouldscarcelyrememberorbelievethatthisstrangefeatoffancyorimaginationhadtroubledhim，painedhim，madehimsleeplessandsick。
ThatmorningDuanespentanunhappyhourwrestlingdecisionoutoftheunstableconditionofhismind。Butatlengthhedeterminedtocreateinterestinallthathecameacrossandsoforgethimselfasmuchaspossible。Hehadanopportunitynowtoseejustwhattheoutlaw’slifereallywas。Hemeanttoforcehimselftobecurious，sympathetic，clear—sighted。Andhewouldstaythereinthevalleyuntilitspossibilitieshadbeenexhaustedoruntilcircumstancessenthimoutuponhisuncertainway。
WhenhereturnedtotheshackEuchrewascookingdinner。
\"Say，Buck，I’venewsforyou，\"hesaid;andhistoneconveyedeitherprideinhispossessionofsuchnewsorprideinDuane。
\"FellernamedBradleyrodeinthismornin’。He’sheardsomeaboutyou。ToldabouttheaceofspadestheyputoverthebulletholesinthetcowpuncherBainyouplugged。Thentherewasaranchershotatawater—holetwentymilessouthofWellston。Reckonyoudidn’tdoit？\"
\"No，Icertainlydidnot，\"repliedDuane。
\"Wal，yougettheblame。Itain’tnothin’forafellertobesaddledwithgun—playshenevermade。An’，Buck，ifyouevergetfamous，asseemslikely，you’llbeblamedformanyacrime。
Theborder’llmakeanoutlawan’murdereroutofyou。Wal，thet’senoughofthet。I’vemorenews。You’regoin’tobepopular。\"
\"Popular？Whatdoyoumean？\"
\"ImetBland’swifethismornin’。Sheseenyoutheotherdaywhenyourodein。Sheshorewantstomeetyou，an’sodosomeoftheotherwomenincamp。Theyalwayswanttomeetthenewfellerswho’vejustcomein。It’slonesomeforwomenhere，an’
theyliketohearnewsfromthetowns。\"
\"Well，Euchre，Idon’twanttobeimpolite，butI’drathernotmeetanywomen，\"rejoinedDuane。
\"Iwasafraidyouwouldn’t。Don’tblameyoumuch。Womenarehell。Iwashopin’，though，youmighttalkalittletothetpoorlonesomekid。\"
\"Whatkid？\"inquiredDuane，insurprise。
\"Didn’tItellyouaboutJennie——thegirlBland’sholdin’
here——theoneJackrabbitBensonhadahandinstealin’？\"
\"Youmentionedagirl。That’sall。Tellmenow，\"repliedDuane，abruptly。
\"Wal，Igotitthisway。Mebbeit’sstraight，an’mebbeitain’t。SomeyearsagoBensonmadeatripovertherivertobuymescalan’otherdrinks。He’llsneakoverthereonceinawhile。An’asIgetitherunacrossagangofgreaserswithsomegringoprisoners。Idon’tknow，butIreckontherewassomebarterin’，perhapsmurderin’。Anyway，Bensonfetchedthegirlback。Shewasmoredeadthanalive。Butitturnedoutshewasonlystarvedan’scaredhalftodeath。Shehadn’tbeenharmed。Ireckonshewasthenaboutfourteenyearsold。
Benson’sidee，hesaid，wastouseherinhisdensellin’
drinksan’thelike。ButIneverwentmuchonJackrabbit’sword。Blandseenthekidrightoffandtookher——boughtherfromBenson。YoucangambleBlanddidn’tdothetfromnotionsofchivalry。Iain’tgainsayin，however，butthetJenniewasbetteroffwithKateBland。She’sbeenhardonJennie，butshe’skeptBlandan’theothermenfromtreatin’thekidshameful。LateJenniehasgrowedintoanall—firedprettygirl，an’Kateispowerfuljealousofher。Icanseehellbrewin’
overthereinBland’scabin。Thet’swhyIwishyou’dcomeoverwithme。Bland’shardlyeverhome。Hiswife’sinvitedyou。
Shore，ifshegetssweetonyou，asshehason——Wal，thet’dcomplicatematters。Butyou’dgettoseeJennie，an’mebbeyoucouldhelpher。Mind，Iain’thintin’nothin’。I’mjustwantin’
toputherinyourway。You’reamanan’canthinkferyourself。Ihadababygirlonce，an’ifshe’dlivedshebeasbigasJennienow，an’，byGawd，Iwouldn’twantherhereinBland’scamp。\"
\"I’llgo，Euchre。Takemeover，\"repliedDuane。HefeltEuchre’seyesuponhim。Theoldoutlaw，however，hadnomoretosay。
IntheafternoonEuchresetoffwithDuane，andsoontheyreachedBland’scabin。Duaneremembereditastheonewherehehadseentheprettywomanwatchinghimrideby。Hecouldnotrecallwhatshelookedlike。Thecabinwasthesameastheotheradobestructuresinthevalley，butitwaslargerandpleasantlylocatedratherhighupinagroveofcottonwoods。Inthewindowsandupontheporchwereevidencesofawoman’shand。ThroughtheopendoorDuanecaughtaglimpseofbrightMexicanblanketsandrugs。
Euchreknockeduponthesideofthedoor。
\"Isthatyou，Euchre？\"askedagirl’svoice，low，hesitatingly。
Thetoneofit，ratherdeepandwithanoteoffear，struckDuane。Hewonderedwhatshewouldbelike。
\"Yes，it’sme，Jennie。Where’sMrs。Bland？\"answeredEuchre。
\"ShewentovertoDeger’s。There’ssomebodysick，\"repliedthegirl。
Euchreturnedandwhisperedsomethingaboutluck。Thesnapoftheoutlaw’seyeswasaddedsignificancetoDuane。
\"Jennie，comeoutorletuscomein。Here’stheyoungmanIwastellin’youabout，\"Euchresaid。
\"Oh，Ican’t！Ilookso——so——\"
\"Nevermindhowyoulook，\"interruptedtheoutlaw，inawhisper。\"Itain’tnotimetocareferthet。Here’syoungDuane。Jennie，he’snorustler，nothief。He’sdifferent。Comeout，Jennie，an’mebbehe’ll——\"
Euchredidnotcompletehissentence。Hehadspokenlow，withhisglanceshiftingfromsidetoside。
Butwhathesaidwassufficienttobringthegirlquickly。Sheappearedinthedoorwaywithdowncasteyesandastainofredinherwhitecheek。Shehadapretty，sadfaceandbrighthair。
\"Don’tbebashful，Jennie，\"saidEuchre。\"Youan’Duanehaveachancetotalkalittle。NowI’llgofetchMrs。Bland，butI
won’tbehurryin’。\"
WiththatEuchrewentawaythroughthecottonwoods。
\"I’mgladtomeetyou，Miss——MissJennie，\"saidDuane。\"Euchredidn’tmentionyourlastname。Heaskedmetocomeoverto——\"
Duane’sattemptatpleasantryhaltedshortwhenJennieliftedherlashestolookathim。SomekindofashockwentthroughDuane。Hergrayeyeswerebeautiful，butithadnotbeenbeautythatcutshorthisspeech。Heseemedtoseeatragicstrugglebetweenhopeanddoubtthatshoneinherpiercinggaze。Shekeptlooking，andDuanecouldnotbreakthesilence。Itwasnoordinarymoment。
\"Whatdidyoucomeherefor？\"sheasked，atlast。
\"Toseeyou，\"repliedDuane，gladtospeak。
\"Why？\"
\"Well——Euchrethought——hewantedmetotalktoyou，cheeryouupabit，\"repliedDuane，somewhatlamely。Theearnesteyesembarrassedhim。
\"Euchre’sgood。He’stheonlypersoninthisawfulplacewho’sbeengoodtome。Buthe’safraidofBland。Hesaidyouweredifferent。Whoareyou？\"
Duanetoldher。
\"You’renotarobberorrustlerormurdererorsomebadmancomeheretohide？\"
\"No，I’mnot，\"repliedDuane，tryingtosmile。
\"Thenwhyareyouhere？\"
\"I’monthedodge。Youknowwhatthatmeans。Igotinashooting—scrapeathomeandhadtorunoff。WhenitblowsoverIhopetogoback。\"
\"Butyoucan’tbehonesthere？\"
\"Yes，Ican。\"
\"Oh，Iknowwhattheseoutlawsare。Yes，you’redifferent。\"Shekeptthestrainedgazeuponhim，buthopewaskindling，andthehardlinesofheryouthfulfaceweresoftening。
SomethingsweetandwarmstirreddeepinDuaneasherealizedtheunfortunategirlwasexperiencingabirthoftrustinhim。
\"OGod！Maybeyou’rethemantosaveme——totakemeawaybeforeit’stoolater\"
Duane’sspiritleaped。
\"MaybeIam，\"hereplied，instantly。
Sheseemedtocheckablindimpulsetorunintohisarms。Hercheekflamed，herlipsquivered，herbosomswelledunderherraggeddress。Thentheglowbegantofade;doubtoncemoreassailedher。
\"Itcan’tbe。You’reonly——afterme，too，likeBland——likeallofthem。\"
Duane’slongarmswentoutandhishandsclaspedhershoulders。
Heshookher。
\"Lookatme——straightintheeye。Therearedecentmen。Haven’tyouafather——abrother？\"
\"They’redead——killedbyraiders。WelivedinDimmitCounty。I
wascarriedaway，\"Jenniereplied，hurriedly。Sheputupanappealinghandtohim。\"Forgiveme。Ibelieve——Iknowyou’regood。Itwasonly——Ilivesomuchinfear——I’mhalfcrazy——I’vealmostforgottenwhatgoodmenarelike，MisterDuane，you’llhelpme？\"
\"Yes，Jennie，Iwill。Tellmehow。WhatmustIdo？Haveyouanyplan？\"
\"Ohno。Buttakemeaway。\"
\"I’lltry，\"saidDuane，simply。\"Thatwon’tbeeasy，though。I
musthavetimetothink。Youmusthelpme。Therearemanythingstoconsider。Horses，food，trails，andthenthebesttimetomaketheattempt。Areyouwatched——keptprisoner？\"
\"No。Icouldhaverunofflotsoftimes。ButIwasafraid。I’donlyhavefallenintoworsehands。Euchrehastoldmethat。
Mrs。Blandbeatsme，halfstarvesme，butshehaskeptmefromherhusbandandtheseotherdogs。She’sbeenasgoodasthat，andI’mgrateful。Shehasn’tdoneitforloveofme，though。
Shealwayshatedme。Andlatelyshe’sgrowingjealous。Therewas’amancameherebythenameofSpence——sohecalledhimself。Hetriedtobekindtome。Butshewouldn’tlethim。
Shewasinlovewithhim。She’sabadwoman。BlandfinallyshotSpence，andthatendedthat。She’sbeenjealouseversince。I
hearherfightingwithBlandaboutme。Sheswearsshe’llkillmebeforehegetsme。AndBlandlaughsinherface。ThenI’veheardChessAllowaytrytopersuadeBlandtogivemetohim。
ButBlanddoesn’tlaughthen。JustlatelybeforeBlandwentawaythingsalmostcametoahead。Icouldn’tsleep。IwishedMrs。Blandwouldkillme。I’llcertainlykillmyselfiftheyruinme。Duane，youmustbequickifyou’dsaveme。\"
\"Irealizethat，\"repliedhe，thoughtfully。\"IthinkmydifficultywillbetofoolMrs。Bland。Ifshesuspectedmeshe’dhavethewholegangofoutlawsonmeatonce。\"
\"Shewouldthat。You’vegottobecareful——andquick。\"
\"Whatkindofwomanisshe？\"inquiredDuane。
\"She’s——she’sbrazen。I’veheardherwithherlovers。TheygetdrunksometimeswhenBland’saway。She’sgotaterribletemper。
She’svain。Shelikesflattery。Oh，youcouldfoolhereasyenoughifyou’dloweryourselfto——to——\"
\"Tomakelovetoher？\"interruptedDuane。
Jenniebravelyturnedshamedeyestomeethis。
\"Mygirl，I’ddoworsethanthattogetyouawayfromhere，\"hesaid，bluntly。
\"But——Duane，\"shefaltered，andagainsheputouttheappealinghand。\"Blandwillkillyou。\"
Duanemadenoreplytothis。Hewastryingtostillarisingstrangetumultinhisbreast。Theoldemotion——therushofaninstincttokill！Heturnedcoldallover。
\"ChessAllowaywillkillyouifBlanddoesn’t，\"wentonJennie，withhertragiceyesonDuane’s。
\"Maybehewill，\"repliedDuane。Itwasdifficultforhimtoforceasmile。Butheachievedone。
\"Oh，bettertakemeoffatonce，\"shesaid。\"Savemewithoutriskingsomuch——withoutmakinglovetoMrs。Bland！\"
\"Surely，ifIcan。There！IseeEuchrecomingwithawoman。\"
\"That’sher。Oh，shemustn’tseemewithyou。\"
\"Wait——amoment，\"whisperedDuane，asJennieslippedindoors。
\"We’vesettledit。Don’tforget。I’llfindsomewaytogetwordtoyou，perhapsthroughEuchre。Meanwhilekeepupyourcourage。
RememberI’llsaveyousomehow。We’lltrystrategyfirst。
Whateveryouseeorhearmedo，don’tthinklessofme——\"
Jenniecheckedhimwithagestureandawonderfulgrayflashofeyes。
\"I’llblessyouwitheverydropofbloodinmyheart，\"shewhispered，passionately。
ItwasonlyassheturnedawayintotheroomthatDuanesawshewaslameandthatsheworeMexicansandalsoverbarefeet。
Hesatdownuponabenchontheporchanddirectedhisattentiontotheapproachingcouple。ThetreesofthegrovewerethickenoughforhimtomakereasonablysurethatMrs。
BlandhadnotseenhimtalkingtoJennie。Whentheoutlaw’swifedrewnearDuanesawthatshewasatall，strong，full—
bodiedwoman，rathergood—lookingwithafullblown，boldattractiveness。Duanewasmoreconcernedwithherexpressionthanwithhergoodlooks;andassheappearedunsuspicioushefeltrelieved。Thesituationthentookonasingularzest。
EuchrecameupontheporchandawkwardlyintroducedDuanetoMrs。Bland。Shewasyoung，probablynotovertwenty—five，andnotquitesoprepossessingatcloserange。Hereyeswerelarge，ratherprominent，andbrownincolor。Hermouth，too，waslarge，withthelipsfull，andshehadwhiteteeth。
Duanetookherprofferedhandandremarkedfranklythathewasgladtomeether。
Mrs。Blandappearedpleased;andherlaugh，whichfollowed，wasloudandrathermusical。
\"Mr。Duane——BuckDuane，Euchresaid，didn’the？\"sheasked。
\"Buckley，\"correctedDuane。\"Thenickname’snotofmychoosing。\"
\"I’mcertainlygladtomeetyou，BuckleyDuane，\"shesaid，asshetooktheseatDuaneofferedher。\"Sorrytohavebeenout。
KidFuller’slyingoveratDeger’s。Youknowhewasshotlastnight。He’sgotfeverto—day。WhenBland’sawayIhavetonursealltheseshot—upboys，anditsuretakesmytime。Haveyoubeenwaitingherealone？Didn’tseethatslatterngirlofmine？\"
Shegavehimasharpglance。Thewomanhadanextraordinaryplayoffeature，Duanethought，andunlessshewassmilingwasnotprettyatall。
\"I’vebeenalone，\"repliedDuane。\"Haven’tseenanybodybutasick—lookinggirlwithabucket。Andsheranwhenshesawme。\"
\"ThatwasJen，\"saidMrs。Bland。\"She’sthekidwekeephere，andshesurehardlypaysherkeep。DidEuchretellyouabouther？\"
\"NowthatIthinkofit，hedidsaysomethingorother。\"
\"Whatdidhetellyouaboutme？\"bluntlyaskedMrs。Bland。
\"Wal，Kate，\"repliedEuchre，speakingforhimself，\"youneedn’tworrynone，forItoldBucknothin’butcompliments。\"
Evidentlytheoutlaw’swifelikedEuchre，forherkeenglancerestedwithamusementuponhim。
\"AsforJen，I’lltellyouherstorysomeday，\"wentonthewoman。\"It’sacommonenoughstoryalongthisriver。Euchrehereisatender—heartedoldfool，andJenhastakenhimin。\"
\"Wal，seein’asyou’vegotmefiggeredcorrect，\"repliedEuchre，dryly，\"I’llgoinan’talktoJennieifImay。\"
\"Certainly。Goahead。Jencallsyouherbestfriend，\"saidMrs。
Bland，amiably。\"You’realwaysfetchingsomeMexicanstuff，andthat’swhy，Iguess。\"
WhenEuchrehadshuffledintothehouseMrs。BlandturnedtoDuanewithcuriosityandinterestinhergaze。
\"Blandtoldmeaboutyou。\"
\"Whatdidhesay？\"queriedDuane，inpretendedalarm。
\"Oh，youneedn’tthinkhe’sdoneyoudirtBland’snotthatkindofaman。Hesaid:’Kate，there’sayoungfellowincamp——rodeinhereonthedodge。He’snocriminal，andherefusedtojoinmyband。Wishhewould。SlickesthandwithagunI’veseenformanyaday！I’dliketoseehimandChessmeetoutthereintheroad。’ThenBlandwentontotellhowyouandBosomercametogether。\"
\"Whatdidyousay？\"inquiredDuane，asshepaused。
\"Me？Why，Iaskedhimwhatyoulookedlike，\"shereplied，gayly。
\"Well？\"wentonDuane。
\"Magnificentchap，Blandsaid。Biggerthananymaninthevalley。Justagreatblue—eyedsunburnedboy！\"
\"Humph！\"exclaimedDuane。\"I’msorryheledyoutoexpectsomebodyworthseeing。\"
\"ButI’mnotdisappointed，\"shereturned，archly。\"Duane，areyougoingtostaylonghereincamp？\"
\"Yes，tillIrunoutofmoneyandhavetomove。Why？\"
Mrs。Bland’sfaceunderwentoneofthesingularchanges。Thesmilesandflushesandglances，allthathadbeencoquettishabouther，hadlentheracertainattractiveness，almostbeautyandyouth。Butwithsomepowerfulemotionshechangedandinstantlybecameawomanofdiscontent，Duaneimagined，ofdeep，violentnature。
\"I’lltellyou，Duane，\"shesaid，earnestly，\"I’msuregladifyoumeantobidehereawhile。I’mamiserablewoman，Duane。I’manoutlaw’swife，andIhatehimandthelifeIhavetolead。I
comeofagoodfamilyinBrownsville。IneverknewBlandwasanoutlawtilllongafterhemarriedme。Wewereseparatedattimes，andIimaginedhewasawayonbusiness。Butthetruthcameout。Blandshotmyowncousin，whotoldme。Myfamilycastmeoff，andIhadtofleewithBland。Iwasonlyeighteenthen。
I’velivedheresince。Ineverseeadecentwomanorman。I
neverhearanythingaboutmyoldhomeorfolksorfriends。I’mburiedhere——buriedalivewithalotofthievesandmurderers。