t with a truculent narrowing of his lids and an outthrust
chin, but observing that the city man was in no wise cowed by his
scowls he amended his attitude. Two days before Brent would have been
more cautious of offending this man, whose exploits had run, sometimes,
to violence, but a subtle transformation had begun in him. A new
disdain for personal risks had caught fire from that flaming quality in
the woman.

"Hev ye ever seed Coal City?" inquired Mallows, and when the other
shook his head, he continued in a lowered voice. "Wa'al hit's a right
rough sort of place. Hit's a coal minin' town with only one
tavern--an' things goes forward thar right sensibly similar ter hell on
a hot night. With ther flood holdin' up ther mines hit's apt ter
kinderly out-do hitself jest now." He paused a moment then capped his
prediction with an added detail.

"Thar'll be plentiful drunkenness an' harlotry thar. Alexander
couldn't speak civil ter me, but I war jest a studyin' erbout how well
she's goin' ter like Coal City."

When the rafts were safe in the boom. Brent looked about for Mallows,
but Mallows was already gone. Alexander herself was among the last to
start along the ill-lighted and twisting street that climbed along, the
broken levels of the town toward the tavern. It was, at best, a
squalid village and a tawdry one. Now it was to boot a wholly
demoralized town, cut off from the other world by inundated highways
and the washing out of its railroad bridge. The kerosene street lamps
burned dully and at long intervals and high up the black slopes a few
coke furnaces still burned in red patches of inflamed and sullen glare.

Brent had dropped out of sight, meaning to follow the girl as an
unofficial body guard. Knowing her impatience at gratuitous services
of protection he made no announcement of his purpose, but fell in
behind the light of the lantern she carried and followed her in the
shadows. When he had gone only a little way, he had the vague feeling
that someone else was following him so he halted and wheeled suddenly.
After peering vainly through the murk, he told himself that he was
letting his imagination play him tricks but the disquieting impression
of soft footsteps padding along behind him he could not dispel.

Before they had readied the main street and the disreputable pile which
was the tavern, sounds of lewd and raucous voices floated out--a chorus
of profane and blatant roistering.

The hou