s."

"He did the best he could," said Mrs. Hoden. "Lord only knows what would
have become of us! He brought your cowboy, Russ, who's been very good
too."

"Mr. Steele, then is--is something more than a Ranger?" queried Miss
Sampson, with a little break in her voice.

"He's more than I can tell," replied Mrs. Hoden. "He buried Jim. He paid
our debts. He fetched us here. He bought food for us. He cooked for us
and fed us. He washed and dressed the baby. He sat with me the first two
nights after Jim's death, when I thought I'd die myself.

"He's so kind, so gentle, so patient. He has kept me up just by being
near. Sometimes I'd wake from a doze an', seeing him there, I'd know how
false were all these tales Jim heard about him and believed at first.
Why, he plays with the children just--just like any good man might. When
he has the baby up I just can't believe he's a bloody gunman, as they
say.

"He's good, but he isn't happy. He has such sad eyes. He looks far off
sometimes when the children climb round him. They love him. I think he
must have loved some woman. His life is sad. Nobody need tell me--he
sees the good in things. Once he said somebody had to be a Ranger. Well,
I say, thank God for a Ranger like him!"

After that there was a long silence in the little room, broken only by
the cooing of the baby. I did not dare to peep in at Miss Sampson then.

Somehow I expected Steele to arrive at that moment, and his step did not
surprise me. He came round the corner as he always turned any corner,
quick, alert, with his hand down. If I had been an enemy waiting there
with a gun I would have needed to hurry. Steele was instinctively and
habitually on the defense.

"Hello, son! How are Mrs. Hoden and the youngster to-day?" he asked.

"Hello yourself! Why, they're doing fine! I brought the girls down--"

Then in the semishadow of the room, across Mrs. Hoden's bed, Diane
Sampson and Steele faced each other.

That was a moment! Having seen her face then I would not have missed
sight of it for anything I could name; never so long as memory remained
with me would I forget. She did not speak. Sally, however, bowed and
spoke to the Ranger. Steele, after the first start, showed no unusual
feeling. He greeted both girls pleasantly.

"Russ, that was thoughtful of you," he said. "It was womankind needed
here. I could do so little--Mrs. Hoden, you look better to-day. I'm
glad. And here's baby, all clean and white. Baby, what