第4章

"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。