cy that. Just tell her
Hardman is dead and that _I_ didn't kill him."

"All right, I'll go right an' do it," replied his father huskily.

"Before you do it fetch me a roll of blankets. We haven't any beds.
And Blinky's wife is with us."

"Wife? I didn't know Blinky had one. Fetch her in. We'll make room
somewhere."

"No, we've already fixed a place for her in that wagon with the square
top," went on Pan. "She's been sick. Rustle, Dad. Fetch me the
blankets."

"Got them right inside. We bought new ones," said Smith, opening the
door to hurry in.

"Mother," called Pan, "everything's all right. We'll be leaving early
tomorrow."

Then his father reappeared with a roll of blankets. Pan found Blinky
exactly as he had left him, leaning over the wagon.

"Blink, put a couple of these blankets over her," directed Pan.

"She went right off, asleep, like she was daid," whispered the cowboy,
and he took the blankets and stepped up on the wheel hub to lay the
blankets softly over the quiet form Pan saw dimly in the starlight.

"Come here, cowboy," called Pan.

And when Blinky got down and approached, Pan laid hold of him with
powerful hand.

"Listen, pard," he began, in low voice. "We're playing a deep game,
and by God, it's an honest game, even though we have to lie.... Louise
will never remember she cut that traitor's heart out. She was too
crazy. If it half returns to her we'll lie--you understand--_lie_....
Nobody will ever know who did kill Hardman, I'll gamble. I intended
to, and all Marco must have known that. If he burned up they can't
ever be sure. Anyway, that doesn't matter. It's our women folks we've
got to think of. I told Dad you'd brought your wife--that she'd been
sick. He'll tell Mother and Lucy. They don't know, and they never
will know what kind of a girl Louise has been.... Savvy, pard?"

"Reckon I do," replied Blinky, in hoarse trembling accents. "But won't
we have hell with Louise--when she wakes up sober?"

"Cowboy, you bet we will," returned Pan grimly. "But we'll be far on
our way when she wakes up. You can drive this wagon. We'll keep watch
on her. And, well--leave it to me, Blink."

"Pan, we feel the same aboot Louie? Shore I don't mean thet you love
her. Reckon it's hard fer me to find words."

"I understand, Blink," replied Pan, earnestly, hoping to dispel the
groping and doubt of his comrade's soul. "For you and me Louie's past
is dead. We're gambling