l. Wal, these
yere two bloomin' females came cavortin' up the trail this mornin',
just afore daylight. Nobody sent 'em no invite, but they sorter
conceived they had a mission in ther wilderness. I wa'nt nowise
favorable ter organizin' a reception committee, an' voted fer shovin'
'em back downhill, bein' a bit skeery o' that sex, but it seems that,
all unbeknownst ter me, Stutter, yere, hed bin gittin' broke ter
harness. An' what did he do but come prancin' inter the argument with
a gun, cussin' an' swearin', and insistin' they be received yere as
honored guests. Oh, he 's got it bad. He 'll likely 'nough go down
ter San Juan soon as ever ther road is cl'ar, an' buy one o' them
motters 'God Bless Our Home' ter hang on ther cabin wall, an' a
door-mat with 'Welcome' on it. That's Stutter--gone cl'ar bug-house
jist 'cause a little black-haired, slim sort o' female made eyes at
him. Blame a fool, anyhow. Wal, one o' them two was Stutter's catch,
a high-kickin' Mexican dancin' gal down ter San Juan. I ain't goin'
ter tell yer what I think o' her fer fear o' gittin' perforated. She
hed 'long with her another performer, a darn good-looker, too, as near
as I could make out in the dark. Wal, them two gals was purtendin' ter
be huntin' arter you; wanted ter warn yer agin Farnham, er some sich
rot. You was down ther mine, jist then, so that's the whole o' it up
ter date."

"Where are they now?"

"In the cabin yonder, sleepin' I reckon."

Winston turned hastily toward Brown, his lips quivering, his eyes grown
stern.

"Who was it with Mercedes?" he questioned sharply. "Did you learn her
name?"

"Sh-she told me d-d-down at San Juan," replied Stutter, striving hard
to recollect. "It w-w-was N-N-Nor-vell."

With the utterance of the word the young engineer was striding rapidly
toward the cabin.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE CONFESSION

Through the single unglazed window Beth Norvell saw him coming, and
clutched at the casing, trembling violently, half inclined to turn and
fly. This was the moment she had so greatly dreaded, yet the moment
she could not avoid unless she failed to do her duty to this man. In
another instant the battle had been fought and won, the die cast. She
turned hastily toward her unconscious companion, grasping her arm.

"Mr. Winston is coming, Mercedes; I--I must see him this time alone."

The Mexican's great black eyes flashed up wonderingly into the flushed
face bending over her, mar