ed him gently away. For the moment all the old passion
had been stirred, but now, as she released herself, an odd shiver
passed through her body, and a great relief came to her as she stood
out of his reach. It was the first real, definite feeling of
repulsion she had had, and as she realized it a sudden fear gripped
her heart, and she longed to rush from his presence. But, even so, she
did not fully understand the change that was taking place in her. Her
predominating thought was for the possession of little Vada, and she
urged him with all the intensity of her longing.

"You'll get her for me?" she cried, with an excitement that
transfigured her. "You will. Oh, Jim, I can never thank you
sufficiently. You are good to me. And when will you get her--now? Oh,
Jim, don't wait. You must do it now. I want her so badly. I wonder how
you'll do it. Will you take her? Or will you ask Zip for her? I--I
believe he would give her up. He's such a queer fellow. I believe he'd
do anything I asked him. I sure do. How are you going to get her?"

The man was watching her with all the fire of his love in his eyes. It
was a greedy, devouring gaze of which Jessie must have been aware had
she only been thinking less of her child. Nor did he answer at once.
Then slowly the passionate light died out of his eyes, and they became
thoughtful.

"Tell me," the woman urged him.

Suddenly he looked into her face with a cruel grin.

"Sit down, Jess," he said sharply, "and write a letter to Zip asking
him, in your best lingo, to let you have your kid. An' when you done
that I'll see he gets it, an'--I'll see you get the kid. But make the
letter good an' hot. Pile up the agony biz. I'll fix the rest."

For a moment the woman looked into his face, now lit with such a cruel
grin. Something in her heart gave her pause. Somehow she felt that
what she was called upon to do was intended to hurt Zip in some subtle
way, and the thought was not pleasant. She didn't want to hurt Zip.
She tried in those few seconds to probe this man's purpose. But her
mind was not equal to the task. Surely a letter appealing to Zip
could not really hurt him. And she wanted little Vada so much. It was
this last thought that decided her. No, nothing should stand in her
way. She steeled her heart against her better feelings, but with some
misgivings, and sat down to write.

James watched her. She procured paper and pen, and he watched her
bending over the table. No detail of