soul to
me for fear of poison."

The colonel paused to chuckle at some enjoyable memory.

"Then Nick came. You see, I know all about Nick."

"And Nick knows all about you?"

For a moment the agate, catlike eyes of the colonel clouded and cleared
again in their unfathomable manner.

"At moments, Donnegan," he said, "you have rare perceptions. That is
exactly it--Nick knows just about everything concerning me. And so--roll
your pack and climb on your horse and get away. I think you may have
another five minutes before he comes."

Donnegan turned on his heel. He went to the door of the hut and threw it
open. Lou sat beside Landis holding his hand, and the murmur of her
voice was still pleasant as an echo through the room when she looked and
saw Donnegan. At that she rose and her face hardened as she looked at
him. Landis, also, lifted his head, and his face was convulsed with
hatred. So Donnegan closed the door and went softly away to his own
shack.

She hated him even as Landis hated him, it seemed. He should have known
that he would not be thanked for bringing back her lover to her with a
bullet through his shoulder. Sitting in his cabin, he took his head
between his hands and thought of life and death, and made up his mind.
He was afraid. If Lord Nick had been the devil himself Donnegan could
not have been more afraid. But if the big stranger had been ten devils
instead of one Donnegan would not have found it in his soul to run away.

Nothing remained for him in The Corner, it seemed, except his position
as a man of power--a dangerous fighter. It was a less than worthless
position, and yet, once having taken it up, he could not abandon it.
More than one gunfighter has been in the same place, forced to act as a
public menace long after he has ceased to feel any desire to fight. Of
selfish motives there remained not a scruple to him, but there was still
the happiness of Lou Macon. If the boy were taken back to Lebrun's, it
would be fatal to her. For even if Nelly wished, she could not teach her
eyes new habits, and she would ceaselessly play on the heart of the
wounded man.

It was the cessation of all talk from the gathering crowd outside that
made Donnegan lift his head at length, and know that Lord Nick had come.
But before he had time to prepare himself, the door was cast open and
into it, filling it from side to side, stepped Lord Nick.

There was no need of an introduction. Donnegan knew him by the aptn