ear you; don't think I was spying on you. A miner who passed the
cabin heard your voices and told me something was wrong. You don't give me
any right to advise you or dictate to you, 'Tana, but one thing you shall
not do, that is, steal to the woods to meet him. And if I find him in your
cabin, I promise you he sha'n't die of old age."

"You would kill him?"

"Like a snake!" and his voice was harsher, colder, than she had ever heard
it. "I'm not asking you any questions, 'Tana. I know it was the man whom
you--saw that night at the spring, and would not let me follow. I know
there is something wrong, or he would come to see you, like a man, in
daylight. If the others here knew it, they would say things not kind to
you. And that is why it sha'n't go on."

"Sha'n't? What right have you--to--to--"

"You will say none," he answered, curtly, "because you do not know."

"Do not know what?" she interrupted, but he only drew a deep breath and
shook his head.

"Tana, don't meet this man again," he said, pleadingly. "Trust me to judge
for you. I don't want to be harsh with you. I don't want you to go away
with hard thoughts against me. But this has got to stop--you must promise
me."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I'd look for the man, and he never would meet you again."

A little shiver ran over her as he spoke. She knew what he meant, and,
despite her bitter words last night to her visitor, the thought was
horrible to her that Dan--

She covered her face with her hands and turned away.

"Don't do that, little girl," he said, and laid his hand on her arm.
"'Tana!"

She flung off his hand as though it stung her, and into her mind flashed
remembrance of Jake Emmons from Spokane--of him and his words.

"Don't touch me!" she half sobbed. "Don't you say another word to me! I am
going away to-morrow, and I have promised to marry Max Lyster."

His hand dropped to his side, and his face shone white in the wan glimmer
of the stars.

"You have promised that?" he said, at last, drawing his breath hard
through his shut teeth. "Well--it is right, I suppose--right. Come! I will
take you back to him now. He is the best one to guard you. Come!"

She drew away and looked from him across to where the merest rim of the
rising moon was to be seen across the hills. The thought of that other
night came to her, the night when they had stood close to each other in
the moonlight. How happy she had been for that one little space of time!
An