صفحة 6 من 439

The man was amazed. A moment since the fury of a tigress had

possessed her. Now she was all weak womanish despair. She leaned

against the cottonwood and buried her face in her arm, the while

uneven sobs shook her slender body. He frowned resentfully at

this change of front, and because his calloused conscience was

disturbed he began to justify himself. Why didn't she play it out

instead of coming the baby act on him? She had undertaken to hold

him up and he had made her pay forfeit. He didn't see that she

had any kick coming. If she was this kind of a boarding-school

kid she ought not to have monkeyed with the buzz-saw. She was

lucky he didn't take her to El Paso with him and have her jailed.

"I reckon we'll listen to explanations now," he said grimly after

a minute of silence interrupted only by her sobs.