第7章

"Youhound！Allthetimeyouwerefoolingme！Youmadelovetome！Youletmebelieve——yousworeyoulovedme！NowIseewhatwasqueeraboutyou。Allforthatgirl！Butyoucan’thaveher。

You’llneverleaveherealive。Givemethatgirl！Letme——getather！She’llneverwinanymoremeninthiscamp。"

Shewasapowerfulwoman，andittookallDuane’sstrengthtowardoffheronslaughts。SheclawedatJennieoverhisupheldarm。Everysecondherfuryincreased。

"HELP！HELP！HELP！"sheshrieked，inavoicethatmusthavepenetratedtotheremotestcabininthevalley。

"Letgo！Letgo！"criedDuane，lowandsharp。Hestillheldhisguninhisrighthand，anditbegantobehardforhimtowardthewomanoff。Hiscoolnesshadgonewithhershriekforhelp。

"Letgo！"herepeated，andheshovedherfiercely。

Suddenlyshesnatchedarifleoffthewallandbackedaway，herstronghandsfumblingatthelever。Asshejerkeditdown，throwingashellintothechamberandcockingtheweapon，Duaneleapeduponher。Hestruckuptherifleasitwentoff，thepowderburninghisface。

"Jennie，runout！Getonahorse！"hesaid。

Jennieflashedoutofthedoor。

WithanirongraspDuaneheldtotherifle—barrel。Hehadgraspeditwithhislefthand，andhegavesuchapullthatheswungthecrazedwomanoffthefloor。Buthecouldnotloosehergrip。Shewasasstrongashe。

"Kate！Letgo！"

Hetriedtointimidateher。Shedidnotseehisgunthrustinherface，orreasonhadgivenwaytosuchanextenttopassionthatshedidnotcare。Shecursed。Herhusbandhadusedthesamecurses，andfromherlipstheyseemedstrange，unsexed，moredeadly。Likeatigressshefoughthim;herfacenolongerresembledawoman’s。Theevilofthatoutlawlife，thewildnessandrage，themeaningtokill，waseveninsuchamomentterriblyimpresseduponDuane。

Heheardacryfromoutside——aman’scry，hoarseandalarming。

Itmadehimthinkoflossoftime。Thisdemonofawomanmightyetblockhisplan。

"Letgo！"hewhispered，andfelthislipsstiff。Inthegrimnessofthatinstantherelaxedhisholdontherifle—barrel。

Withsudden，redoubled，irresistiblestrengthshewrenchedtherifledownanddischargedit。Duanefeltablow——ashock——aburningagonytearingthroughhisbreast。Theninafrenzyhejerkedsopowerfullyupontheriflethathethrewthewomanagainstthewall。Shefellandseemedstunned。

Duaneleapedback，whirled，flewoutofthedoortotheporch。

Thesharpcrackingofagunhaltedhim。HesawJennieholdingtothebridleofhisbayhorse。Euchrewasastridetheother，andhehadaColtleveled，andhewasfiringdownthelane。

Thencameasingleshot，heavier，andEuchre’sceased。Hefellfromthehorse。

AswiftglancebackshowedtoDuaneamancomingdownthelane。

ChessAlloway！Hisgunwassmoking。Hebrokeintoarun。TheninaninstanthesawDuane，andtriedtocheckhispaceasheswunguphisarm。Butthatslightpausewasfatal。Duaneshot，andAllowaywasfallingwhenhisgunwentoff。HisbulletwhistledclosetoDuaneandthuddedintothecabin。

Duaneboundeddowntothehorses。Jenniewastryingtoholdtheplungingbay。Euchrelayflatonhisback，dead，abullet—holeinhisshirt，hisfacesethard，andhishandstwistedroundgunandbridle。

"Jennie，you’venerve，allright！"criedDuane，ashedraggeddownthehorseshewasholding。"Upwithyounow！There！Nevermind——longstirrups！Hangonsomehow！"

HecaughthisbridleoutofEuchre’sclutchinggripandleapedastride。Thefrightenedhorsesjumpedintoarunandthundereddownthelaneintotheroad。Duanesawmenrunningfromcabins。

Heheardshouts。Buttherewerenoshotsfired。Jennieseemedabletostayonherhorse，butwithoutstirrupsshewasthrownaboutsomuchthatDuanerodecloserandreachedouttograspherarm。

Thustheyrodethroughthevalleytothetrailthatledupover，thesteepandbrokenRimRock。AstheybegantoclimbDuanelookedback。Nopursuerswereinsight。

"Jennie，we’regoingtogetaway！"hecried，exultationforherinhisvoice。

Shewasgazinghorror—strickenathisbreast，asinturningtolookbackhefacedher。

"Oh，Duane，yourshirt’sallbloody！"shefaltered，pointingwithtremblingfingers。

WithherwordsDuanebecameawareoftwothings——thehandheinstinctivelyplacedtohisbreaststillheldhisgun，andhehadsustainedaterriblewound。

Duanehadbeenshotthroughthebreastfarenoughdowntogivehimgraveapprehensionofhislife。Theclean—cutholemadebythebulletbledfreelybothatitsentranceandwhereithadcomeout，butwithnosignsofhemorrhage。Hedidnotbleedatthemouth;however，hebegantocoughupareddish—tingedfoam。

Astheyrodeon，Jennie，withpalefaceandmutelips，lookedathim。

"I’mbadlyhurt，Jennie，"hesaid，"butIguessI’llstickitout。"

"Thewoman——didsheshootyou？"

"Yes。Shewasadevil。Euchretoldmetolookoutforher。I

wasn’tquickenough。"

"Youdidn’thaveto——to——"shiveredthegirl。

"No！no！"hereplied。

TheydidnotstopclimbingwhileDuanetoreascarfandmadecompresses，whichheboundtightlyoverhiswounds。Thefreshhorsesmadefasttimeuptheroughtrail。FromopenplacesDuanelookeddown。WhentheysurmountedthesteepascentandstoodontopoftheRimRock，withnosignsofpursuitdowninthevalley，andwiththewild，brokenfastnessesbeforethem，Duaneturnedtothegirlandassuredherthattheynowhadeverychanceofescape。

"But——your——wound！"shefaltered，withdark，troubledeyes。"I

see——theblood——drippingfromyourback！"

"Jennie，I’lltakealotofkilling，"hesaid。

Thenhebecamesilentandattendedtotheuneventrail。HewasawarepresentlythathehadnotcomeintoBland’scampbythisroute。Butthatdidnotmatter;anytrailleadingoutbeyondtheRimRockwassafeenough。Whathewantedwastogetfarawayintosomewildretreatwherehecouldhidetillherecoveredfromhiswound。Heseemedtofeelafireinsidehisbreast，andhisthroatburnedsothatitwasnecessaryforhimtotakeaswallowofwatereverylittlewhile。Hebegantosufferconsiderablepain，whichincreasedasthehourswentbyandthengavewaytoanumbness。Fromthattimeonhehadneedofhisgreatstrengthandendurance。Graduallyhelosthissteadinessandhiskeensight;andherealizedthatifheweretomeetfoes，orifpursuingoutlawsshouldcomeupwithhim，hecouldmakeonlyapoorstand。Soheturnedoffonatrailthatappearedseldomtraveled。

Soonafterthismovehebecameconsciousofafurtherthickeningofhissenses。Hefeltabletoholdontohissaddleforawhilelonger，buthewasfailing。ThenhethoughtheoughttoadviseJennie，soincaseshewasleftaloneshewouldhavesomeideaofwhattodo。

"Jennie，I’llgiveoutsoon，"hesaid。"No—Idon’tmean——whatyouthink。ButI’lldropsoon。Mystrength’sgoing。IfI

die——youridebacktothemaintrail。Hideandrestbyday。

Rideatnight。Thattrailgoestowater。IbelieveyoucouldgetacrosstheNueces，wheresomerancherwilltakeyouin。"

Duanecouldnotgetthemeaningofherincoherentreply。Herodeon，andsoonhecouldnotseethetrailorhearhishorse。

Hedidnotknowwhethertheytraveledamileormanytimesthatfar。Buthewasconsciouswhenthehorsestopped，andhadavaguesenseoffallingandfeelingJennie’sarmsbeforeallbecamedarktohim。

Whenconsciousnessreturnedhefoundhimselflyinginalittlehutofmesquitebranches。Itwaswellbuiltandevidentlysomeyearsold。Thereweretwodoorsoropenings，oneinfrontandtheotherattheback。Duaneimaginedithadbeenbuiltbyafugitive——onewhomeanttokeepaneyebothwaysandnottobesurprised。Duanefeltweakandhadnodesiretomove。Wherewashe，anyway？Astrange，intangiblesenseoftime，distance，ofsomethingfarbehindweigheduponhim。SightofthetwopacksEuchrehadmadebroughthisthoughttoJennie。Whathadbecomeofher？Therewasevidenceofherworkinasmolderingfireandalittleblackenedcoffee—pot。Probablyshewasoutsidelookingafterthehorsesorgettingwater。Hethoughtheheardastepandlistened，buthefelttired，andpresentlyhiseyesclosedandhefellintoadoze。

Awakeningfromthis，hesawJenniesittingbesidehim。Insomewaysheseemedtohavechanged。Whenhespokeshegaveastartandturnedeagerlytohim。

"Duane！"shecried。

"Hello。How’reyou，Jennie，andhowamI？"hesaid，findingitalittledifficulttotalk。

"Oh，I’mallright，"shereplied。"Andyou’vecometo——yourwound’shealed;butyou’vebeensick。Fever，Iguess。IdidallIcould。"

Duanesawnowthatthedifferenceinherwasawhitenessandtightnessofskin，ahollownessofeye，alookofstrain。

"Fever？Howlonghavewebeenhere？"heasked。

Shetooksomepebblesfromthecrownofhissombreroandcountedthem。

"Nine。Ninedays，"sheanswered。

"Ninedays！"heexclaimed，incredulously。Butanotherlookatherassuredhimthatshemeantwhatshesaid。"I’vebeensickallthetime？Younursedme？"

"Yes。"

"Bland’smendidn’tcomealonghere？"

"No。"

"Wherearethehorses？"

"Ikeepthemgrazingdowninagorgebackofhere。There’sgoodgrassandwater。"

"Haveyousleptany？"

"Alittle。LatelyIcouldn’tkeepawake。"

"GoodLord！Ishouldthinknot。You’vehadatimeofitsittingheredayandnightnursingme，watchingfortheoutlaws。Come，tellmeallaboutit。"

"There’snothingmuchtotell。"

"Iwanttoknow，anyway，justwhatyoudid——howyoufelt。"

"Ican’trememberverywell，"shereplied，simply。"Wemusthaveriddenfortymilesthatdaywegotaway。Youbledallthetime。Towardeveningyoulayonyourhorse’sneck。Whenwecametothisplaceyoufelloutofthesaddle。Idraggedyouinhereandstoppedyourbleeding。Ithoughtyou’ddiethatnight。ButinthemorningIhadalittlehope。Ihadforgottenthehorses。

Butluckilytheydidn’tstrayfar。Icaughtthemandkeptthemdowninthegorge。WhenyourwoundsclosedandyoubegantobreathestrongerIthoughtyou’dgetwellquick。Itwasfeverthatputyouback。Youravedalot，andthatworriedme，becauseIcouldn’tstopyou。Anybodytrailinguscouldhaveheardyouagoodways。Idon’tknowwhetherIwasscaredmostthenorwhenyouwerequiet，anditwassodarkandlonelyandstillallaround。EverydayIputastoneinyourhat。"

"Jennie，yousavedmylife，"saidDuane。

"Idon’tknow。Maybe。IdidallIknewhowtodo，"shereplied。

"Yousavedmine——morethanmylife。"

Theireyesmetinalonggaze，andthentheirhandsinacloseclasp。

"Jennie，we’regoingtogetaway，"hesaid，withgladness。

"I’llbewellinafewdays。Youdon’tknowhowstrongIam。

We’llhidebydayandtravelbynight。Icangetyouacrosstheriver。"

"Andthen？"sheasked。

"We’llfindsomehonestrancher。"

"Andthen？"shepersisted。

"Why，"hebegan，slowly，"that’sasfarasmythoughtsevergot。Itwasprettyhard，Itellyou，toassuremyselfofsomuch。Itmeansyoursafety。You’lltellyourstory。You’llbesenttosomevillageortownandtakencareofuntilarelativeorfriendisnotified。"

"Andyou？"sheinquired，inastrangevoice。

Duanekeptsilence。

"Whatwillyoudo？"shewenton。

"Jennie，I’llgobacktothebrakes。Idaren’tshowmyfaceamongrespectablepeople。I’manoutlaw。"

"You’renocriminal！"shedeclared，withdeeppassion。

"Jennie，onthisborderthelittledifferencebetweenanoutlawandacriminaldoesn’tcountformuch。"

"Youwon’tgobackamongthoseterriblemen？You，withyourgentlenessandsweetness——allthat’sgoodaboutyou？Oh，Duane，don’t——don’tgo！"

"Ican’tgobacktotheoutlaws，atleastnotBland’sband。No，I’llgoalone。I’lllone—wolfit，astheysayontheborder。

WhatelsecanIdo，Jennie？"

"Oh，Idon’tknow。Couldn’tyouhide？Couldn’tyouslip，outofTexas——gofaraway？"

"IcouldnevergetoutofTexaswithoutbeingarrested。Icouldhide，butamanmustlive。Nevermindaboutme，Jennie。"

InthreedaysDuanewasablewithgreatdifficultytomounthishorse。Duringdaylight，byshortrelays，heandJennierodebacktothemaintrail，wheretheyhidagaintillhehadrested。TheninthedarktheyrodeoutofthecanonsandgulliesoftheRimRock，andearlyinthemorninghaltedatthefirstwatertocamp。

Fromthatpointtheytraveledafternightfallandwentintohidingduringtheday。OnceacrosstheNuecesRiver，Duanewasassuredofsafetyforherandgreatdangerforhimself。Theyhadcrossedintoacountryhedidnotknow。Somewhereeastoftherivertherewerescatteredranches。Buthewasasliabletofindtherancherintouchwiththeoutlawsashewaslikelytofindhimhonest。DuanehopedhisgoodfortunewouldnotdeserthiminthislastservicetoJennie。Nexttotheworryofthatwasrealizationofhiscondition。Hehadgottenuptoosoon;hehadriddentoofarandhard，andnowhefeltthatanymomenthemightfallfromhissaddle。Atlast，faraheadoverabarrenmesquite—dottedstretchofdustyground，heespiedapatchofgreenandalittleflat，redranch—house。HeheadedhishorseforitandturnedafacehetriedtomakecheerfulforJennie’ssake。Sheseemedbothhappyandsorry。

Whennearathandhesawthattherancherwasathriftyfarmer。

Andthriftspokeforhonesty。Therewerefieldsofalfalfa，fruit—trees，corrals，windmillpumps，irrigation—ditches，allsurroundinganeatlittleadobehouse。Somechildrenwereplayingintheyard。ThewaytheyranatsightofDuanehintedofboththelonelinessandthefearoftheirisolatedlives。

Duanesawawomancometothedoor，thenaman。Thelatterlookedkeenly，thensteppedoutside。Hewasasandy—haired，freckledTexan。

"Howdy，stranger，"hecalled，asDuanehalted。"Getdown，youan’yourwoman。Say，now，airyousickorshotorwhat？Letme——"

Duane，reelinginhissaddle，bentsearchingeyesupontherancher。Hethoughthesawgoodwill，kindness，honesty。Heriskedallonthatonesharpglance。Thenhealmostplungedfromthesaddle。

Theranchercaughthim，helpedhimtoabench。

"Martha，comeouthere！"hecalled。"Thisman’ssick。No;he’sshot，orIdon’tknowblood—stains。"

JenniehadslippedoffherhorseandtoDuane’sside。Duaneappearedabouttofaint。

"Airyouhiswife？"askedtherancher。

"No。I’monlyagirlhesavedfromoutlaws。Oh，he’ssopalerDuane，Duane！"

"BuckDuane！"exclaimedtherancher，excitedly。"ThemanwhokilledBlandan’Alloway？Say，Iowehimagoodturn，an’I’llpayit，youngwoman。"

Therancher’swifecameout，andwithamanneratoncekindandpracticalessayedtomakeDuanedrinkfromaflask。Hewasnotsofargonethathecouldnotrecognizeitscontents，whichherefused，andweaklyaskedforwater。Whenthatwasgivenhimhefoundhisvoice。

"Yes，I’mDuane。I’veonlyoverdonemyself——justallin。ThewoundsIgotatBland’sarehealing。Willyoutakethisgirlin——hideherawhiletilltheexcitement’soveramongtheoutlaws？"

"Ishorewill，"repliedtheTexan。

"Thanks。I’llrememberyou——I’llsquareit。"

"What’reyougoin’todo？"

"I’llrestabit——thengobacktothebrakes。"

"Youngman，youain’tinanyshapetotravel。Seehere——anyrustlersonyourtrail？"

"IthinkwegaveBland’sgangtheslip。"

"Good。I’lltellyouwhat。I’lltakeyouinalongwiththegirl，an’hidebothofyoutillyougetwell。It’llbesafe。Mynearestneighborisfivemilesoff。Wedon’thavemuchcompany。"

"Youriskagreatdeal。Bothoutlawsandrangersarehuntingme，"saidDuane。

"Neverseenarangeryetintheseparts。An’havealwaysgotalongwithoutlaws，mebbeexceptin’Bland。ItellyouIoweyouagoodturn。"

"Myhorsesmightbetrayyou，"addedDuane。

"I’llhidetheminaplacewherethere’swateran’grass。

Nobodygoestoit。Comenow，letmehelpyouindoors。"

Duane’slastfadingsensationsofthatharddaywerethestrangefeelofabed，areliefattheremovalofhisheavyboots，andofJennie’ssoft，coolhandsonhishotface。

Helayillforthreeweeksbeforehebegantomend，anditwasanotherweekthenbeforehecouldwalkoutalittleintheduskoftheevenings。Afterthathisstrengthreturnedrapidly。Anditwasonlyattheendofthislongsiegethatherecoveredhisspirits。Duringmostofhisillnesshehadbeensilent，moody。

"Jennie，I’llberidingoffsoon，"hesaid，oneevening。"I

can’timposeonthisgoodmanAndrewsmuchlonger。I’llneverforgethiskindness。Hiswife，too——she’sbeensogoodtous。

Yes，Jennie，youandIwillhavetosaygood—byverysoon。"

"Don’thurryaway，"shereplied。

LatelyJenniehadappearedstrangetohim。ShehadchangedfromthegirlheusedtoseeatMrs。Bland’shouse。Hetookherreluctancetosaygood—byasanotherindicationofherregretthathemustgobacktothebrakes。Yetsomehowitmadehimobservehermoreclosely。Sheworeaplain，whitedressmadefrommaterialMrs。Andrewshadgivenher。Sleepandgoodfoodhadimprovedher。Ifshehadbeenprettyoutthereintheoutlawdennowshewasmorethanthat。Butshehadthesamepaleness，thesamestrainedlook，thesamedarkeyesfullofhauntingshadows。AfterDuane’srealizationofthechangeinherhewatchedhermore，withagrowingcertaintythathewouldbesorrynottoseeheragain。

"It’slikelywewon’teverseeeachotheragain，"hesaid。

"That’sstrangetothinkof。We’vebeenthroughsomeharddays，andIseemtohaveknownyoualongtime。"

Jennieappearedshy，almostsad，soDuanechangedthesubjecttosomethinglesspersonal。

Andrewsreturnedoneeveningfromaseveraldays’triptoHuntsville。

"Duane，everybody’stalkie’abouthowyoucleaneduptheBlandoutfit，"hesaid，importantandfullofnews。"It’ssomeexaggerated，accordin’towhatyoutoldme;butyou’veshoremadefriendsonthissideoftheNueces。Ireckonthereain’tatownwhereyouwouldn’tfindpeopletowelcomeyou。Huntsville，youknow，issomedividedinitsideas。Halfthepeoplearecrooked。Likelyenough，allthemwhowassoloudinpraiseofyouarethecrookedest。Forinstance，ImetKingFisher，thebossoutlawoftheseparts。Well，Kingthinkshe’sadecentcitizen。Hewastellin’mewhatagrandjobyourswasfortheborderan’honestcattlemen。NowthatBlandandAllowayaredonefor，KingFisherwillfindrustlin’easier。There’stalkofHardinmovie’hiscampovertoBland’s。ButIdon’tknowhowtrueitis。Ireckonthereain’tmuchtoit。Inthepastwhenabigoutlawchiefwentunder，hisbandalmostalwaysbrokeupan’scattered。There’snooneleftwhocouldrunthetoutfit。"

"Didyouhearofanyoutlawshuntingme？"askedDuane。

"NobodyfromBland’soutfitishuntin’you，thet’sshore，"

repliedAndrews。"Fishersaidthereneverwasahossstraddledtogoonyourtrail。NobodyhadanyuseforBland。Anyhow，hismenwouldbeafraidtotrailyou。An’youcouldgorightintoHuntsville，whereyou’dbesomepopular。Reckonyou’dbesafe，too，exceptwhensomeofthemfoolsaloonloafersorbadcowpuncherswouldtrytoshootyouforthegloryinit。Themkindofmenwillbobupeverywhereyougo，Duane。"

"I’llbeabletorideandtakecareofmyselfinadayortwo，"

wentonDuane。"ThenI’llgo——I’dliketotalktoyouaboutJennie。"

"She’swelcometoahomeherewithus。"

"Thankyou，Andrews。You’reakindman。ButIwantJennietogetfartherawayfromtheRioGrande。She’dneverbesafehere。

Besides，shemaybeabletofindrelatives。Shehassome，thoughshedoesn’tknowwheretheyare。"

"Allright，Duane。Whateveryouthinkbest。Ireckonnowyou’dbettertakehertosometown。Gonorthan’strikeforShelbyvilleorCrockett。Them’sbothgoodtowns。I’lltellJenniethenamesofmenwho’llhelpher。Youneedn’trideintotownatall。"

"Whichplaceisnearer，andhowfarisit？"

"Shelbyville。Ireckonabouttwodays’ride。Poorstockcountry，soyouain’tliabletomeetrustlers。Allthesame，betterhitthetrailatnightan’gocareful。"

AtsunsettwodayslaterDuaneandJenniemountedtheirhorsesandsaidgood—bytotherancherandhiswife。AndrewswouldnotlistentoDuane’sthanks。

"ItellyouI’mbeholdentoyouyet，"hedeclared。

"Well，whatcanIdoforyou？"askedDuane。"Imaycomealonghereagainsomeday。"

"Getdownan’comein，then，oryou’renofriendofmine。I

reckonthereain’tnothin’Icanthinkof——Ijusthappentoremember——"HereheledDuaneoutofearshotofthewomenandwentoninawhisper。"Buck，Iusedtobewell—to—do。GotskinnedbyamannamedBrown——RodneyBrown。HelivesinHuntsville，an’he’smyenemy。Ineverwasmuchonfightin’，orI’dfixedhim。Brownruinedme——stoleallIhad。He’sahossan’cattlethief，an’hehaspullenoughathometoprotecthim。IreckonIneedn’tsayanymore。"

"IsthisBrownamanwhoshotanoutlawnamedStevens？"queriedDuane，curiously。

"Shore，he’sthesame。Iheardthetstory。BrownswearshepluggedStevensthroughthemiddle。Buttheoutlawrodeoff，an’nobodyeverknewforshore。"

"LukeStevensdiedofthatshot。Iburiedhim，"saidDuane。

Andrewsmadenofurthercomment，andthetwomenreturnedtothewomen。

"Themainroadforaboutthreemiles，thenwhereitforkstaketheleft—handroadandkeeponstraight。Thatwhatyousaid，Andrews？"

"Shore。An’goodlucktoyouboth！"

DuaneandJennietrottedawayintothegatheringtwilight。AtthemomentaninsistentthoughtbotheredDuane。BothLukeStevensandtherancherAndrewshadhintedtoDuanetokillamannamedBrown。Duanewishedwithallhisheartthattheyhadnotmentionedit，letalonetakenforgrantedtheexecutionofthedeed。WhatabloodyplaceTexaswas！Menwhorobbedandmenwhowererobbedbothwantedmurder。Itwasinthespiritofthecountry。DuanecertainlymeanttoavoidevermeetingthisRodneyBrown。AndthatverydeterminationshowedDuanehowdangeroushereallywas——tomenandtohimself。Sometimeshehadafeelingofhowlittlestoodbetweenhissaneandbetterselfandaselfutterlywildandterrible。Hereasonedthatonlyintelligencecouldsavehim——onlyathoughtfulunderstandingofhisdangerandaholduponsomeideal。

ThenhefellintolowconversationwithJennie，holdingouthopefulviewsofherfuture，andpresentlydarknesssetin。Theskywasovercastwithheavyclouds;therewasnoairmoving;

theheatandoppressionthreatenedstorm。ByandbyDuanecouldnotseearodinfrontofhim，thoughhishorsehadnodifficultyinkeepingtotheroad。Duanewasbotheredbytheblacknessofthenight。Travelingfastwasimpossible，andanymomenthemightmisstheroadthatledofftotheleft。Sohewascompelledtogiveallhisattentiontopeeringintothethickshadowsahead。Asgoodluckwouldhaveit，hecametohighergroundwheretherewaslessmesquite，andthereforenotsuchimpenetrabledarkness;andatthispointhecametowheretheroadsplit。

Onceheadedintherightdirection，hefelteasierinmind。Tohisannoyance，however，afine，mistyrainsetin。Jenniewasnotwelldressedforwetweather;and，forthatmatter，neitherwashe。Hiscoat，whichinthatdrywarmclimateheseldomneeded，wastiedbehindhissaddle，andheputitonJennie。

Theytraveledon。Therainfellsteadily;ifanything，growingthicker。Duanegrewuncomfortablywetandchilly。Jennie，however，faredsomewhatbetterbyreasonoftheheavycoat。Thenightpassedquicklydespitethediscomfort，andsoonagray，dismal，rainydawngreetedthetravelers。

Jennieinsistedthathefindsomeshelterwhereafirecouldbebuilttodryhisclothes。Hewasnotinafitconditiontoriskcatchingcold。Infact，Duane’steethwerechattering。Tofindashelterinthatbarrenwasteseemedafutiletask。Quiteunexpectedly，however，theyhappeneduponadesertedadobecabinsituatedalittleofftheroad。Notonlydiditprovetohaveadryinterior，butalsotherewasfirewood。Waterwasavailableinpoolseverywhere;however，therewasnograssforthehorses。

Agoodfireandhotfoodanddrinkchangedtheaspectoftheirconditionasfarascomfortwent。AndJennielaydowntosleep。

ForDuane，however，theremustbevigilance。Thiscabinwasnohiding—place。Therainfellharderallthetime，andthewindchangedtothenorth。"It’sanorther，allright，"mutteredDuane。"Twoorthreedays。"Andhefeltthathisextraordinaryluckhadnotheldout。Stillonepointfavoredhim，anditwasthattravelerswerenotlikelytocomealongduringthestorm。

JenniesleptwhileDuanewatched。Thesavingofthisgirlmeantmoretohimthananytaskhehadeverassumed。Firstithadbeenpartlyfromahumanfeelingtosuccoranunfortunatewoman，andpartlyamotivetoestablishclearlytohimselfthathewasnooutlaw。Lately，however，hadcomeadifferentsense，astrangeone，withsomethingpersonalandwarmandprotectiveinit。

Ashelookeddownuponher，aslight，slendergirlwithbedraggleddressanddisheveledhair，herface，paleandquiet，alittlesterninsleep，andherlong，darklasheslyingonhercheek，heseemedtoseeherfragility，herprettiness，herfemininityasneverbefore。Butforhimshemightatthatverymomenthavebeenabroken，ruinedgirllyingbackinthatcabinoftheBlands’。Thefactgavehimafeelingofhisimportanceinthisshiftingofherdestiny。Shewasunharmed，stillyoung;