ll
worn shiny and thin; little streaks of dust fell from him as he breathed
heavily. He no longer looked the dashing cowboy, ready for a dance or
lark or fight.

"How in the world did you offend her so?" asked Helen. "Bo is furious. I
never saw her so angry as that."

"Miss Nell, it was jest this way," began Carmichael. "Shore Bo's knowed
I was in love with her. I asked her to marry me an' she wouldn't say
yes or no.... An', mean as it sounds--she never run away from it, thet's
shore. We've had some quarrels--two of them bad, an' this last's the
worst."

"Bo told me about one quarrel," said Helen. "It was--because you
drank--that time."

"Shore it was. She took one of her cold spells an' I jest got drunk."

"But that was wrong," protested Helen.

"I ain't so shore. You see, I used to get drunk often--before I come
here. An' I've been drunk only once. Back at Las Vegas the outfit would
never believe thet. Wal, I promised Bo I wouldn't do it again, an' I've
kept my word."

"That is fine of you. But tell me, why is she angry now?"

"Bo makes up to all the fellars," confessed Carmichael, hanging his
head. "I took her to the dance last week--over in the town-hall. Thet's
the first time she'd gone anywhere with me. I shore was proud.... But
thet dance was hell. Bo carried on somethin' turrible, an' I--"

"Tell me. What did she do?" demanded Helen, anxiously. "I'm responsible
for her. I've got to see that she behaves."

"Aw, I ain't sayin' she didn't behave like a lady," replied Carmichael.
"It was--she--wal, all them fellars are fools over her--an' Bo wasn't
true to me."

"My dear boy, is Bo engaged to you?"

"Lord--if she only was!" he sighed.

"Then how can you say she wasn't true to you? Be reasonable."

"I reckon now, Miss Nell, thet no one can be in love an' act
reasonable," rejoined the cowboy. "I don't know how to explain, but the
fact is I feel thet Bo has played the--the devil with me an' all the
other fellars."

"You mean she has flirted?"

"I reckon."

"Las Vegas, I'm afraid you're right," said Helen, with growing
apprehension. "Go on. Tell me what's happened."

"Wal, thet Turner boy, who rides for Beasley, he was hot after Bo,"
returned Carmichael, and he spoke as if memory hurt him. "Reckon I've
no use for Turner. He's a fine-lookin', strappin', big cow-puncher, an'
calculated to win the girls. He brags thet he can, an' I reckon he's
right. Wal, he was always hangin' round Bo. An' he stol