\"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。