ThenthemanytrailsleadingawayfromtheJorthranch——thesegrewtohaveafascinationforEllen;andthetimecamewhensherodeoutonthemtoseeforherselfwheretheyled。ThesheepranchofDaggs,supposedtobeonlyafewmilesacrosstheridges,downinBearCanyon,nevermaterializedatallforEllen。ThiscircumstancesointerestedherthatshewentuptoseeherfriendSpragueandgothimtodirecthertoBearCanyon,sothatshewouldbesurenottomissit。Andsherodefromthenarrow,maple—thicketedheadofitneartheRimdownallitslength。Shefoundnoranch,nocabin,notevenacorralinBearCanyon。Spraguesaidtherewasonlyonecanyonbythatname。Daggshadassuredheroftheexactlocationonhisplace,andsohadherfather。Hadtheylied?Weretheymistakeninthecanyon?Thereweremanycanyons,allheadingupneartheRim,allrunningandwideningdownformilesthroughthewoodedmountain,andvastlydifferentfromthedeep,short,yellow—walledgorgesthatcutintotheRimfromtheBasinside。
Elleninvestigatedthecanyonswithinsixoreightmilesofherhome,bothtoeastandtowest。Allshediscoveredwasacoupleofoldlogcabins,longdeserted。Still,shedidnotfollowoutallthetrailstotheirends。Severalofthemledfarintothedeepest,roughest,wildestbrakesofgorgeandthicketthatshehadseen。Nocattleorsheephadeverbeendrivenoverthesetrails。
ThisridingaroundofEllen’satlengthgottoherfather’sears。
Ellenexpectedthatabitterquarrelwouldensue,forshecertainlywouldrefusetobeconfinedtothecamp;butherfatheronlyaskedhertolimitherridingtothemeadowvalley,andstraightwayforgotallaboutit。Infact,hisabstractiononemoment,hisintensenervousnessthenext,hisharderdrinkingandfiercerharangueswiththemen,grewtobedistressingforEllen。Theypresagedhisfurtherdeteriorationandtheever—presentevilofthegrowingfeud。
OnedayJorthrodehomeintheearlymorning,afteranabsenceoftwonights。Ellenheardtheclip—clopof,horseslongbeforeshesawthem。
\"Hey,Ellen!Comeoutheah,\"calledherfather。
Ellenleftherworkandwentoutside。Astrangerhadriddeninwithherfather,ayounggiantwhosesharp—featuredfaceappearedmarkedbyferret—likeeyesandafine,light,fuzzybeard。Hewaslong,loosejointed,notheavyofbuild,andhehadthelargesthandsandfeetEllenbadeverseen。NextEllenespiedablackhorsetheyhadevidentlybroughtwiththem。Herfatherwasholdingaropehalter。AtoncetheblackhorsestruckEllenasbeingabeautyandathoroughbred。
\"Ellen,heah’sahorseforyou,\"saidJorth,withsomethingofpride。
\"Imadeatrade。ReckonIwantedhimmyself,buthe’stoogentleformean’maybealittlesmallformyweight。\"
DelightvisitedEllenforthefirsttimeinmanydays。Seldomhadsheownedagoodhorse,andneveronelikethis。
\"Oh,dad!\"sheexclaimed,inhergratitude。
\"Shorehe’syoursononecondition,\"saidherfather。
\"What’sthat?\"askedEllen,asshelaidcaressinghandsontherestlesshorse。
\"You’renottoridehimoutofthecanyon。\"
\"Agreed……Alldaidblack,isn’the,exceptthatwhiteface?
What’shisname,dad?
\"Iforgottoask,\"repliedJorth。ashebeganunsaddlinghisownhorse。
\"Slater,what’sthisheahblack’sname?\"
Thelankygiantgrinned。\"IreckonitwasSpades。\"
\"Spades?\"ejaculatedEllen,blankly。\"Whataname!……Well,Iguessit’sasgoodasany。He’sshoreblack。\"
\"Ellen,keephimhobbledwhenyou’renotridin’him,\"washerfather’spartingadviceashewalkedoffwiththestranger。
Spadeswaswetanddustyandhissatinyskinquivered。Hehadfine,dark,intelligenteyesthatwatchedEllen’severymove。Sheknewhowherfatherandhisfriendsdraggedandjammedhorsesthroughthewoodsandovertheroughtrails。Itdidnottakeherlongtodiscoverthatthishorsehadbeenapet。Ellencleanedhiscoatandbrushedhimandfedhim。Thenshefittedherbridletosuithisheadandsaddledhim。
Hisevidentresponsetoherkindnessassuredherthathewasgentle,soshemountedandrodehim,todiscoverhehadtheeasiestgaitshehadeverexperienced。Hewalkedandtrottedtosuitherwill,butwhenlefttochoosehisowngaithefellintoagracefullittlepacethatwasveryeasyforher。Heappearedquitereadytobreakintoarunatherslightestbidding,butEllensatisfiedherselfonthisfirstridewithhisslowergaits。
\"Spades,y’u’veshorecutoutmyburroJinny,\"saidEllen,regretfully。
\"Well,Ireckonwomenarefickle。\"
NextdaysherodeupthecanyontoshowSpadestoherfriendJohnSprague。Theoldburrobreederwasnotathome。Ashisdoorwasopen,however,andafiresmoldering,Ellenconcludedhewouldsoonreturn。
Soshewaited。Dismounting,sheleftSpadesfreetograzeonthenewgreengrassthatcarpetedtheground。Thecabinandlittlelevelclearingaccentuatedthelonelinessandwildnessoftheforest。
Ellenalwayslikedithereandhadoncebeeninthehabitofvisitingtheoldmanoften。Butoflateshehadstayedaway,forthereasonthatSprague’stalkandhisnewsandhispoorlyhiddenpitydepressedher。
Presentlysheheardhoofbeatsonthehard,packedtrailleadingdownthecanyoninthedirectionfromwhichshehadcome。ScarcelylikelywasitthatSpragueshouldreturnfromthisdirection。Ellenthoughtherfatherhadsentoneoftheherdersforher。Butwhenshecaughtaglimpseoftheapproachinghorseman,downintheaspens,shefailedtorecognizehim。Afterhehadpassedoneoftheopeningssheheardhishorsestop。Probablythemanhadseenher;atleastshecouldnototherwiseaccountforhisstopping。Theglimpseshehadofhimhadgivenhertheimpressionthathewasbendingover,peeringaheadinthetrail,lookingfortracks。Thensheheardtheridercomeonagain,moreslowlythistime。Atlengththehorsetrottedoutintotheopening,tobehauledupshort。Ellenrecognizedthebuckskin—cladfigure,thebroadshoulders,thedarkfaceofJeanIsbel。
Ellenfeltpreytothestrangestquakingsensationshehadeversuffered。
Ittookviolenceofhernew—bornspirittosubduethatfeeling。
Isbelrodeslowlyacrosstheclearingtowardher。ForEllenhisapproachseemedsingularlyswift——soswiftthathersurprise,dismay,conjecture,andangerobstructedherwill。TheoutwardlycalmandcoldEllenJorthwasatravestythatmockedher——thatshefelthewoulddiscern。
ThemomentIsbeldrewcloseenoughforEllentoseehisfacesheexperiencedastrong,shudderingrepetitionofherfirstshockofrecognition。Hewasnotthesame。Thelight,theyouthwasgone。
This,however,didnotcauseheremotion。Wasitnotasuddentransitionofhernaturetothedominanceofhate?Ellenseemedtofeeltheshadowofherunknownselfstandingwithher。
Isbelhaltedhishorse。Ellenhadbeenstandingnearthetrunkofafallenpineandsheinstinctivelybackedagainstit。Howherlegstrembled!Isbeltookoffhiscapandcrusheditnervouslyinhisbare,brownhand。
\"Goodmornin’,MissEllen!\"hesaid。
Ellendidnotreturnhisgreeting,butqueried,almostbreathlessly,\"Didy’ucomebyourranch?\"
\"No。Icircled,\"hereplied。
\"JeanIsbel!Whatdoy’uwantheah?\"shedemanded。
\"Don’tyouknow?\"hereturned。Hiseyeswereintenselyblackandpiercing。TheyseemedtosearchEllen’sverysoul。Tomeettheirgazewasanordealthatonlyherrousingfurysustained。
Ellenfeltonherlipsascornfulallusiontohishalf—breedIndiantraitsandthereputationthathadprecededhim。Butshecouldnotutterit。
\"No\"shereplied。
\"It’shardtocallawomanaliar,\"hereturned,bitterly。Butyoumustbe——seein’you’reaJorth。
\"Liar!Nottoy’u,JeanIsbel,\"sheretorted。\"I’dnotlietoy’utosavemylife。\"
Hestudiedherwithkeen,sober,moodyintent。Thedarkfireofhiseyesthrilledher。
\"Ifthat’strue,I’mglad,\"hesaid。
\"Shoreit’strue。I’venoideawhyy’ucameheah。\"
Ellendidhaveadawningideathatshecouldnotforceintooblivion。
Butifsheeveradmittedittoherconsciousness,shemustfailinthecontemptandscornandfearlessnessshechosetothrowinthisman’sface。
\"DoesoldSpraguelivehere?\"askedIsbel。
\"Yes。Iexpecthimbacksoon……Didy’ucometoseehim?\"
\"No……DidSpraguetellyouanythin’abouttherowhesawmein?\"
\"He——didnot,\"repliedEllen,lyingwithstifflips。Shewhohadswornshecouldnotlie!Shefeltthehotbloodleavingherheart,mountinginawave。Allherconsciouswillseemedimpelledtodeceive。WhathadshetohidefromJeanIsbel?Andastill,smallvoicerepliedthatshehadtohidetheEllenJorthwhohadwaitedforhimthatday,whohadspieduponhim,whohadtreasuredagiftshecouldnotdestroy,whohadhuggedtohermiserableheartthefactthathehadfoughtforhername。
\"I’mgladofthat,\"Isbelwassaying,thoughtfully。
\"Didyoucomeheahtoseeme?\"interruptedEllen。Shefeltthatshecouldnotendurethisreiteratedsuggestionoffineness,ofconsiderationinhim。Shewouldbetrayherself——betraywhatshedidnotevenrealizeherself。Shemustforceotherfooting——andthatshouldbetheoneofstrifebetweentheJorthsandIsbels。
\"No——honest,Ididn’t,MissEllen,\"herejoined,humbly。\"I’lltellyou,presently,whyIcame。Butitwasn’ttoseeyou……Idon’tdenyIwanted……butthat’snomatter。Youdidn’tmeetmethatdayontheRim。\"
\"Meety’u!\"sheechoed,coldly。\"Shorey’uneverexpectedme?\"
\"SomehowIdid,\"hereplied,withthosepenetratingeyesonher。
\"Iputsomethin’inyourtentthatday。Didyoufindit?\"
\"Yes,\"shereplied,withthesamecasualcoldness。
\"Whatdidyoudowithit?\"
\"Ikickeditout,ofcourse,\"shereplied。
Shesawhimflinch。
\"Andyouneveropenedit?\"
\"Certainlynot,\"sheretorted,asifforced。\"Doon’ty’uknowanythin’
about——aboutpeople?……Shoreevenify’uareanIsbely’uneverwereborninTexas。\"
\"ThankGodIwasn’t!\"hereplied。\"Iwasborninabeautifulcountryofgreenmeadowsanddeepforestsandwhiterivers,notinabarrendesertwheremenlivedryandhardasthecactus。WhereIcomefrommendon’tliveonhate。Theycanforgive。\"
\"Forgive!……Couldy’uforgiveaJorth?\"
\"Yes,Icould。\"
\"Shorethat’seasytosay——withthewrongsallonyourside,\"
shedeclared,bitterly。
\"EllenJorth,thefirstwrongwasonyour,side,\"retortedJean,hisvoicefall。\"Yourfatherstolemyfather’ssweetheart——bylies,byslander,bydishonor,bymakin’terriblelovetoherinhisabsence。\"
\"It’salie,\"criedEllen,passionately。
\"Itisnot,\"hedeclared,solemnly。
\"JeanIsbel,Isayy’ulie!\"
\"No!Isayyou’vebeenliedto,\"hethundered。
ThetremendousforceofhisspiritseemedtoflingtruthatEllen。
Itweakenedher。
\"But——motherloveddad——best。\"
\"Yes,afterward。Nowonder,poorwoman!……Butitwastheactionofyourfatherandyourmotherthatruinedalltheselives。You’vegottoknowthetruth,EllenJorth……Alltheyearsofhatehavebornetheirfruit。GodAlmightycanneversaveusnow。Bloodmustbespilled。TheJorthsandtheIsbelscan’tliveonthesameearth……Andyou’vegottoknowthetruthbecausetheworstofthishellfallsonyouandme。\"
Thehatethathespokeofaloneupheldher。
\"Never,JeanIsbel!\"shecried。\"I’llneverknowtruthfromy’u……I’llnevershareanythin’withy’u——notevenhell。\"
Isbeldismountedandstoodbeforeher,stillholdinghisbridlereins。
Thebayhorsechampedhisbitandtossedhishead。
\"Whydoyouhatemeso?\"heasked。\"Ijusthappentobemyfather’sson。
Ineverharmedyouoranyofyourpeople。Imetyou……fellinlovewithyouinaflash——thoughIneverknewittillafter……Whydoyouhatemesoterribly?\"
Ellenfeltaheavy,stiflingpressurewithinherbreast。\"Y’u’reanIsbel……Doon’tspeakoflovetome。\"
\"Ididn’tintendto。Butyour——yourhateseemsunnatural。Andwe’llprobablynevermeetagain……Ican’thelpit。Iloveyou。Loveatfirstsight!JeanIsbelandEllenJorth!Strange,isn’tit?……
Itwasallsostrange。Mymeetin’yousolonelyandunhappy,myseein’
yousosweetandbeautiful,mythinkin’yousogoodinspiteof——\"
\"Shoreitwasstrange,\"interruptedEllen,withscornfullaugh。
Shehadfoundherdefense。Inhurtinghimshecouldhideherownhurt。
\"Thinkingmesogoodinspiteof——Ha—ha!AndIsaidI’dbeenkissedbefore!\"
\"Yes,inspiteofeverything,\"hesaid。
Ellencouldnotlookathimasheloomedoverher。Shefeltawildtumultinherheart。Allthatcrowdedtoherlipsforutterancewasfalse。
\"Yes——kissedbeforeImetyou——andsince,\"shesaid,mockingly。
\"AndIlaughatwhaty’ucalllove,JeanIsbel。\"
\"Laughifyouwant——butbelieveitwassweet,honorable——thebestinme,\"
hereplied,indeepearnestness。
\"Bah!\"criedEllen,withalltheforceofherpainandshameandhate。
\"ByHeaven,youmustbedifferentfromwhatIthought!\"exclaimedIsbel,huskily。
\"ShoreifIwasn’t,I’dmakemyself……Now,MisterJeanIsbel,getonyourhorsean’go!\"
SomethingofcomposurecametoEllenwiththesewordsofdismissal,andsheglancedupathimwithhalf—veiledeyes。Hischangedaspectpreparedherforsomeblow。
\"That’saprettyblackhorse。\"
\"Yes,\"repliedEllen,blankly。
\"Doyoulikehim?\"
\"I——Ilovehim。\"
\"Allright,I’llgivehimtoyouthen。He’llhavelessworkandkindertreatmentthanifIusedhim。I’vegotsomeprettyhardridesaheadofme。\"
\"Y’u——y’ugive——\"whisperedEllen,slowlystiffening。\"Yes。He’smine,\"
repliedIsbel。Withthatheturnedtowhistle。Spadesthrewuphishead,snorted,andstartedforwardatatrot。Hecamefasterthecloserhegot,andifeverEllensawthejoyofahorseatsightofabelovedmastershesawitthen。Isbellaidahandontheanimal’sneckandcaressedhim,then,turningbacktoEllen,hewentonspeaking:\"Ipickedhimfromalotoffinehorsesofmyfather’s。Wegotalongwell。MysisterAnnrodehimagooddeal……Hewasstolenfromourpasturedaybeforeyesterday。Itookhistrailandtrackedhimuphere。NeverlosthistrailtillIgottoyourranch,whereIhadtocircletillIpickeditupagain。\"
\"Stolen——pasture——trackedhimupheah?\"echoedEllen,withoutanyevidenceofemotionwhatever。Indeed,sheseemedtohavebeenturnedtostone。
\"Trackin’him。waseasy。Iwishforyoursakeit’dbeenimpossible,\"
hesaid,bluntly。
\"Formysake?\"sheechoed,inpreciselythesametone,ManifestlythattoneirritatedIsbelbeyondcontrol。Hemisunderstoodit。Withahandfarfromgentlehepushedherbentheadbacksohecouldlookintoherface。
\"Yes,foryoursake!\"hedeclared,harshly。\"Haven’tyousenseenoughtoseethat?……Whatkindofagamedoyouthinkyoucanplaywithme?\"
\"GameI……Gameofwhat?\"sheasked。
\"Why,a——agameofignorance——innocence——anyoldgametofoolamanwho’stryin’tobedecent。\"
ThistimeEllenmutelylookedherdull,blankquestioning。AnditinflamedIsbel。
\"Youknowyourfather’sahorsethief!\"hethundered。
OutwardlyEllenremainedthesame。Shehadbeenpreparedforanunknownandaterribleblow。Ithadfallen。Andherface,herbody,herhands,lockedwiththesupremefortitudeofprideandsustainedbyhate,gavenobetrayalofthecrashing,thunderingruinwithinhermindandsoul。Motionlesssheleanedthere,meetingthepiercingfireofIsbel’seyes,seeinginthemarighteousandterriblescorn。Inoneflashthenakedtruthseemedblazedather。Thefaithshehadfostereddiedasuddendeath。Athousandperplexingproblemsweresolvedinasecondofwhirling,revealingthought。
\"EllenJorth,youknowyourfather’sinwiththisHashKnifeGangofrustlers,\"thunderedIsbel。
\"Shore,\"shereplied,withthecool,easy,carelessdefianceofaTexan。
\"Youknowhe’sgotthisDaggstoleadhisfactionagainsttheIsbels?\"
\"Shore。\"
Youknowthistalkofsheepmenbuckin’thecattlemenisallablind?\"
\"Shore,\"reiteratedEllen。
Isbelgazeddarklydownuponher。Withhisangerspentforthemoment,heappearedreadytoendtheinterview。Butheseemedfascinatedbythestrangelookofher,bytheincomprehensiblesomethingsheemanated。
Havocgleamedinhispale,setface。Heshookhisdarkheadandhisbroadhandwenttohisbreast。
\"TothinkIfellinlovewithsuchasyou!\"heexclaimed,andhisotherhandsweptoutinatragicgestureofhelplesspathosandimpotence。
ThehellIsbelhadhintedatnowpossessedEllen——body,mind,andsoul。
Disgraced,scornedbyanIsbel!Yetlovedbyhim!Inthatdivinationthereflamedupawild,fiercepassiontohurt,torend,toflay,toflingbackuponhimastingingagony。Herthoughtflewuponherlikewhips。PrideoftheJorths!PrideoftheoldTexanblueblood!Itlaydeadatherfeet,killedbythescornfulwordsofthelastofthatfamilytowhomsheowedherdegradation。Daughterofahorsethiefandrustler!Darkandevilandgrimsettheforceswithinher,acceptingherfate,damningherenemies,truetothebloodoftheJorths。Thesinsofthefathermustbevisiteduponthedaughter。
\"Shorey’umighthavehadme——thatdayontheRim——ify’uhadn’ttoldyourname,\"shesaid,mockingly,andshegazedintohiseyeswithallthemysteryofawoman’snature。
Isbel’spowerfulframeshookaswithanague。\"Girl,whatdoyoumean?\"
\"Shore,I’dhavebeenplumbfondofhavin’y’umakeuptome,\"shedrawled。Itpossessedhernowwithirresistiblepower,thisfactofthelovehecouldnothelp。Somefiendishwoman’ssatisfactiondweltinherconsciousnessofherpowertokillthenoble,thefaithful,thegoodinhim。
\"EllenJorth,youlie!\"heburstout,hoarsely。
\"Jean,shoreI’dbeenatoyandaragfortheserustlerslongenough。
Iwastiredofthem……Iwantedanewlover……Andify’uhadn’tgiveyourselfaway——\"
Isbelmovedsoswiftlythatshedidnotrealizehisintentionuntilhishardhandsmotehermouth。Instantlyshetastedthehot,saltybloodfromacutlip。
\"Shutup,youhussy!\"heordered,roughly。\"Haveyounoshame?……
MysisterAnnspokewellofyou。Shemadeexcuses——shepitiedyou。\"
ThatforEllenseemedtheculminatingblowunderwhichshealmostsank。
Butonemomentlongercouldshemaintainthisunnaturalandterriblepoise。
\"JeanIsbel——goalongwithy’u,\"shesaid,impatiently。\"I’mwaitingheahforSimmBruce!\"
Atlastitwasasifshestruckhisheart。Becauseofdoubtofhimselfandastubbornfaithinher,hispassionandjealousywerenotproofagainstthislaststab。InstinctivesubtletyinherentinEllenhadpromptedthespeechthattorturedIsbel。Howtheshocktohimreboundedonher!Shegaspedashelungedforher,tooswiftforhertomoveahand。Onearmcrushedroundherlikeasteelband;theother,hardacrossherbreastandneck,forcedherheadback。Thenshetriedtowrestleaway。Butshewasutterlypowerless。Hisdarkfacebentdowncloserandcloser。SuddenlyEllenceasedtryingtostruggle。Shewaslikeastrickencreatureparalyzedbythepiercing,hypnoticeyesofasnake。Yetinspiteofherterror,ifhemeantdeathbyher,shewelcomedit。
\"EllenJorth,I’mthinkin’yet——youlie!\"hesaid,lowandtensebetweenhisteeth。
\"No!No!\"shescreamed,wildly。Hernervebrokethere。Shecouldnolongermeetthoseterribleblackeyes。Herpassionatedenialwasnotonlythelastofhershamefuldeceit;itwasthewomanofher,repudiatingherselfandhim,andallthissickening,miserablesituation。
Isbeltookherliterally。Shehadconvincedhim。AndtheinstantheldblankhorrorforEllen。
\"ByGod——thenI’llhavesomethin’——ofyouanyway!\"mutteredIsbel,thickly。
Ellensawthebloodbulgeinhispowerfulneck。Shesawhisdark,hardface,strangenow,fearfultobehold,comelowerandlower,tillitblurredandobstructedhergaze。Shefelttheswellandrippleandstretch——thenthebindofhismuscles,likehugecoilsofelasticrope。
Thenwithsavagerudeforcehismouthclosedonhers。AllEllen’ssensesreeled,asifshewereswooning。Shewassuffocating。Thespasmpassed,andaburstingspurtofbloodrevivedhertoacuteandterribleconsciousness。Fortheendlessperiodofonemomentheheldhersothatherbreastseemedcrushed。Hiskissesburnedandbraisedherlips。Andthen,shiftingviolentlytoherneck,theypressedsohardthatshechokedunderthem。Itwasasifahugebathadfasteneduponherthroat。
Suddenlytheremorselessbindingembraces——thehotandsavagekisses——
fellawayfromher。Isbelhadletgo。Shesawhimthrowuphishands,andstaggerbackalittle,allthewhilewithhispiercinggazeonher。
Hisfacehadbeendarkpurple:nowitwaswhite。
\"No——EllenJorth,\"hepanted,\"Idon’t——wantanyofyou——thatway。\"
Andsuddenlyhesankonthelogandcoveredhisfacewithhishands。
\"WhatIlovedinyou——waswhatIthought——youwere。\"
LikeawildcatEllenspranguponhim,beatinghimwithherfists,tearingathishair,scratchinghisface,inablindfury。Isbelmadenomovetostopher,andherviolencespentitselfwithherstrength。Sheswayedbackfromhim,shakingsothatshecouldscarcelystand。
\"Y’u——damned——Isbel!\"shegasped,withhoarsepassion。\"Y’uinsultedme!\"
\"Insultedyou?……\"laughedIsbel,inbitterscorn。\"Itcouldn’tbedone。\"
\"Oh!……I’llKILLy’u!\"shehissed。
Isbelstoodupandwipedtheredscratchesonhisface。\"Goahead。
There’smygun,\"hesaid,pointingtohissaddlesheath。\"Somebody’sgottobeginthisJorth—Isbelfeud。It’llbeadirtybusiness。I’msickofitalready……Killme!……FirstbloodforEllenJorth!\"
SuddenlythedarkgrimtidethathadseemedtoengulfEllen’sverysoulcooledandreceded,leavingherwithoutitsfalsestrength。Shebegantosag。ShestaredatIsbel’sgun。\"Killhim,\"whisperedtheretreatingvoicesofherhate。ButshewasaspowerlessasifshewerestillheldinJeanIsbel’sgiantembrace。
\"I——Iwantto——killy’u,\"shewhispered,\"butIcain’t……
Leaveme。\"
\"You’renoJorth——thesameasI’mnoIsbel。Weoughtn’tbemixedinthisdeal,\"hesaid,somberly。\"I’msorrierforyouthanIamformyself……You’reagirl……Youoncehadagoodmother——adecenthome。Andthislifeyou’veledhere——meanasit’sbeen——isnothin’towhatyou’llfacenow。Damnthementhatbroughtyoutothis!I’mgoin’
tokillsomeofthem。\"