-'KILL 'EM BOTH!'"

The trapper gave a start at the explosiveness of her tone.

Lahoma shouted again, as harshly as she could, "'Kill 'em both,' says
they." Then she turned to Willock. "Did I put them words in the
correct sauce, Brick?"

"You done noble, honey."

Lahoma resumed: "Now it was in a manner of happening that Brick, he
was riding around to have a look at the country, and when he rides up
to the cabin, why, right outside there was me and father, and two of
the robbers about to kill us. 'What are you devils up to?' says Brick.
'You go to hell,' says the leading man, 'that's where we're going to
send this spy and his little girl,' says he; 'you go to hell and maybe
you'll meet 'em there,' he says. And with that he ups and shoots at
Brick, the bullet lifting his hat right off his head and scaring the
horse out from under him, so he falls right there at the feet of them
two robber-men, on his back. Brick, he never harmed nobody before in
his life, but what was he to do? He might of let them kill him, but
that would of left father and me in their grip, so he just grabs the
gun out of the leading man's hand, as he hadn't ever carried a gun in
his life his own self, and he shot both them robbers, him still laying
there on his back--"

"No, honey, I got up about that time."

"Brick, you told me you was still laying there on your back just as you
fell."

"Did I, honey, well, I reckon I was, then, for when I told you about
it, it was more recent."

"It's awful interesting," the trapper remarked dryly.

"Yes, ain't it!" Lahoma glowed. "Then father jumped on one horse with
me, and Brick put out on another, and when I woke up, the Indians were
all everywhere, but Brick come here and lived all alone and nearly died
because he didn't have me to comfort him. So the Indians took me and
they killed father, and for two years I was moved from village to
village till Red Feather brought me to Brick. And then we found out we
are cousins and he is going to civilize me. Brick, he remembers about a
cousin of his, Cousin Martha Willock, her sister went driving out to
the Oklahoma country with her husband and little girl and wasn't never
heard of. I am the little girl, all right, and Brick he's my second
cousin. And wasn't it lucky Brick was riding around that night,
looking at the country, when they was about to put daylight into me?"

"I'd think," remarked the trapper, "that he'd take you back to your
Cousin Ma