p her home, but there warn't a chance; she went
wherever her little legs would carry her, and the whole town looked out
for her. She must be a woman grown, now."

"I don't suppose you would recognize her if you should see her," Willa
observed wistfully.

"Me? Lord, no!" he exclaimed. "Babies grow up into most anything, as
far as looks go! She was about four when her ma was burned, and
Gentleman Geoff, the gambler, adopted her and took her away. The whole
town wanted to keep her, but in them days Topaz was no place for a girl
to grow up in and there wasn't a woman here of her mother's kind."

"It is possible that a woman might remember her where a man wouldn't."
Willa was following her own train of thought. "The proprietor of the
Palace spoke of two women left who were here at that time; a Mrs.
Atkinson and Klondike Kate. Would they be able to tell me anything
more, do you think?"

"Not the widder!" Mr. Ryder responded with emphasis. "She put Miss Vi
to work in her hash-house for a week when young Murphy died; starved
her, slammed the kid around and drove her till she fainted. She warn't
used to hard work, Miss Vi warn't, and the Widder Atkinson would have
killed a horse. When Miss Vi took to doing turns at Jake's instead,
the Widder 'lowed she was no better than she'd ought to've been, and
near got lynched in consequence. You've only got to mention Miss Vi to
her even now to have her r'ar right up on her hind legs. She wouldn't
tell you nothing if she could."

"The other one, Klondike Kate. Did she know this Miss Violet?"

"Sure. She was one o' the girls at Jake's, like Blonde Annie and the
rest. I guess you ain't ever come in contact with that kind, Ma'am,
but it wouldn't hurt you to talk to her once and if anyone could help
you maybe she could. That kind don't get much forbearance from other
women, but Miss Vi was good to her and nursed her through a spell o'
sickness and Klondike Kate just about worshiped her and the baby.
'Twas Kate saved little Billie when Jake's burned. She was the first
after poor Miss Violet to remember the baby and she turned back and got
her."

"She--she saved the child!" Willa's voice trembled, and she rose
quickly. "Where can I find her? It is good of you to have told me
what you could, Mr. Ryder. You don't remember anything else about this
Miss Violet and her baby; she left no papers with anyone?"

"No, not that I know of. The lawyer asked me that, too, and th