been
capable of the unassisted effort. Then she glanced swiftly at the dead
woman. The covering over the body had been moved. She was certain.
It had been replaced differently from the way she had arranged it. She
offered no comment, but busied herself spreading her coat over the
man's bared chest, where the rough bandages had been fastened with her
father's aid.

Again she seated herself on the ground beside him, but now his face was
turned from her. It was toward the still figure a few yards away.

"Tell me the rest now, Nan," he said. "She did her--best--to--save me."

"More than her best. Say, Jeff, she loved you better than life.
That's why she's--there."

"Tell me."

A new note had crept into his demand. There was a hush in his voice
which gave his words a curious tenderness, reverence even for the woman
they were speaking of.

"Guess it must have been over in a minute. Oh, say, it was just the
biggest, blindest, most tremendous thing. It was too awful. She was
so beautiful, too. And then the love in it. I kind of shiver when I
think of it. We heard your shout, Jeff. Evie came right along with
us. She insisted. You see, I'd made her mad. I'd blamed her to her
face. I--I'm sorry now. But, my, she was brave, and how she loved
you! Well, when Bud heard your shout I guess it didn't take him more
than a minute to beat in the door they'd fastened. Him an' the boys.
The rest took seconds. We stood clear, as you said, guessing you meant
a run for it. The place was ablaze. When the door fell we saw it all.
You were near it. Beyond you were two men. Sikkem was one. They were
against the far wall, sideways from the door. They had guns in their
hands. They meant finishing you anyway, whatever happened after. But
there was a bundle of blazing stuff in front of them, an' it seemed to
worry them quite a deal. You started for the door. They got busy to
use their guns right away. Then something happened. We'd forgot Evie.
Guess we were plumb staggered. Something rushed past us, into that
blazing hut. It was Evie, an' she managed to get between you and them
just as you dropped. She fell where she stood. It was the shots
they'd meant for you. Then Bud opened on 'em, the boys did too, and
after that we dragged you and Evie out. Oh, Jeff, she just didn't want
to live without you."

A great sob broke from the girl, and it found an echo deep down in the
man's heart. Nan buried her face