第9章
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  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。\"

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