away with your father--I'm not one to keep you from doing that--but I
must tell you how great has been the pleasure of having you here, and I
hope you will come again. If you go to-morrow morning I shall not see
you again."

"Why not?"

"I start at dawn to arrest Cut Finger."

"Alone?"

"No. The captain of the police goes with me."

Her face paled a little. "Oh! I wish you wouldn't! Why don't you take
the soldiers?"

"They are not necessary. I shall leave here about four o'clock and
surprise the guilty man in his bed. He will not fight me." He rose. "Are
you ready to go now?"

"In a moment," she said, and softly crossed the floor to peep into the
bedroom. "Poor papa, he looks almost bloodless as he sleeps."

As they stepped out into the darkness Curtis realized that this was
their last walk together, and the thought was both sweet and sad.

"Will you take my arm?" he asked. "It is very dark, though there should
be a new moon."

"It has gone down; I saw it," she replied, as she slipped her hand
through his elbow. "How peaceful it all is! It doesn't seem possible
that to-morrow you will risk your life in the performance of duty, and
that I will leave here, never to return. I have a curious feeling about
this place now. It seems as though I were settled here, and that I am to
go on living here forever."

"I wish it were true. Women like you--you know what I mean; there are no
women like you, of course--come into my life too seldom. I dread the
empty futility of to-morrow. As an Indian agent, I must expect to live
without companionship with such as you. I have a premonition that Jennie
is going to leave me--as she ought."

"You will be very lonely then; what will you do?"

"Work harder; do more good, and so cheat myself into forgetfulness that
time is flying."

"You are bitter to-night."

"Why shouldn't I be when you are going away? It wouldn't be decent of me
to be gay."

"Your methods of flattery are always effective. At one moment you
discuss the weightiest matters with me--which argues I have brains--and
then you grow gloomy over my going and would seem to mean that I am
charming, which I don't think is quite true."

"If I weren't a poor devil of an army officer I'd convince you of my
sincerity by asking you not to go away at all."

"That _would_ be convincing," she said, laughingly. "Please don't do
it!"

His tone became suddenly serious. "You are right, I can't ask you to
share a life like m