"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。