the Mission girl.
She was light as a feather, her eyes sparkled, her cheeks grew rosy,
her laugh rang out, and the flaming spirit of her was kindling fires
of which she never dreamed. Pleasant saw her dance first with Ham and
then with King, and he grinned with swift recognition of her purpose.
And he grinned the more when he saw that she was succeeding beyond her
realization--saw it by the rage in Polly's black eyes, which burned now
at Ham and now at King, for Miss Mary had no further need to ask either
of them to dance--one or the other was always at her side. Indeed the
Marquise, without knowing it, was making a pretty triangular mess of
things, and Pleasant chuckled unholily--chuckled until he saw things
were getting serious, and then his inner laughing ceased and his sharp
eyes got wary and watchful. For first Ham and then King would disappear
in the darkness, and each time they came back their faces were more
flushed and their dancing was more furious.

Now, Polly was winging arrows of anger at the little teacher, and
presently Pleasant rose lightly and with incredible swiftness swung
across the floor just as the climax came. From the other side Polly
too darted forward. Ham and King were glaring at each other over the
teacher's pretty head--each claiming the next dance. Miss Mary was
opening her mouth for a mild rebuke when the two boys sprang back,
the right hand of each flashing to his hip. King drew first, and
Pleasant's crutch swished down on his wrist, striking his pistol
to the floor. Polly had caught Ham's hand with both her own, and
Ham felt the muzzle of Pleasant's forty-four against his stomach.

"Stop it!" said Pleasant sternly. "Miss Mary don't like sech doin's."

So quickly was it on and over that the teacher hardly realized that
it had come on and was over. Her bewildered face paled, but the color
came back with a rush, and when her indignant eyes began their deadly
work Pleasant knew there was no further need of him, and he stepped
back as though to escape penalty even for playing peacemaker in a
way so rude.

"You--you--you two!" breathed Miss Mary helplessly, but only for
a moment.

"Give me that gun, Ham. Pick that one up, King." Both she handed to
Pleasant, and then--no torrent came. She turned with a wave of her hand.

"You can all go home now." There had been a moment of deadly quiet,
but in the mountains even boys and girls do not take such events very
seriously; the hubbub and titte