his waist, is Stampede Smith, an old-time partner of
George Carmack, who discovered gold on Bonanza Creek in Ninety-six. The
thud of Carmack's spade, as it hit first pay, was the 'sound heard round
the world,' Miss Standish. And the gentleman with crumpled whiskers was
the second-best man at Bonanza, excepting Skookum Jim and Taglish
Charlie, two Siwah Indians who were with Carmack when the strike was
made. Also, if you care for the romantic, he was in love with Belinda
Mulrooney, the most courageous woman who ever came into the north."

"Why was she courageous?"

"Because she came alone into a man's land, without a soul to fight for
her, determined to make a fortune along with the others. And she did. As
long as there is a Dawson sour-dough alive, he will remember Belinda
Mulrooney."

"She proved what a woman could do, Mr. Holt."

"Yes, and a little later she proved how foolish a woman can be, Miss
Standish. She became the richest woman in Dawson. Then came a man who
posed as a count, Belinda married him, and they went to Paris. _Finis_,
I think. Now, if she had married Stampede Smith over there, with his big
whiskers--"

He did not finish. Half a dozen paces from them a man had risen from a
table and was facing them. There was nothing unusual about him, except
his boldness as he looked at Mary Standish. It was as if he knew her and
was deliberately insulting her in a stare that was more than impudent in
its directness. Then a sudden twist came to his lips; he shrugged his
shoulders slightly and turned away.

Alan glanced swiftly at his companion. Her lips were compressed, and her
cheeks were flaming hotly. Even then, as his own blood boiled, he could
not but observe how beautiful anger made her.

"If you will pardon me a moment," he said quietly, "I shall demand an
explanation."

Her hand linked itself quickly through his arm.

"Please don't," she entreated. "It is kind of you, and you are just the
sort of man I should expect to resent a thing like that. But it would be
absurd to notice it. Don't you think so?"

In spite of her effort to speak calmly, there was a tremble in her
voice, and Alan was puzzled at the quickness with which the color went
from her face, leaving it strangely white.

"I am at your service," he replied with a rather cold inclination of his
head. "But if you were my sister, Miss Standish, I would not allow
anything like that to go unchallenged."

He watched the stranger until he d