gone down a gully rim, thinking to cross
it farther on, ran into rocks and a precipitous bank, and was coming
back upon his trail. He met Marion face to face. She gave a cry that
had in it both tears and laughter, and stood looking at him big-eyed
over her muff.

"Well, forevermore! I thought I never would catch you! I was going to
the cave--" Something in Jack's scrutinizing, unfriendly eyes stopped
her.

"Sorry, but I'm not at home," he said. There was more than a sulky
mood in his tone. Marion was long since accustomed to the boyish
gruffness with which Jack strove to hide heartaches. This was
different. It froze her superficial cheerfulness to a panicky
conviction that Jack had in some manner discovered her betrayal of
him; or else he had taken alarm at Hank's prowling.

"What's the matter, Jack? Did you find out about--anybody knowing
you're here? Are you beating it, now?"

"I don't know what you mean." Jack still eyed her with that
disconcerting, measuring look that seemed to accuse without making
clear just what the specific accusation might be. "How do you
mean--beating it?"

"I mean--oh, Jack, I did an awful thing, and I came up to tell you.
And Hank Brown knows something, I'm sure, and that worries me, too. I
came out to see if I could meet you, the other day, while Doug stayed
with Kate. And I ran right onto Hank Brown, and he began asking about
you right away, Jack, and hinting things and talking about tracks. He
showed me where you had waited behind the tree, and where we stood and
talked, and he guessed about my bringing cigarettes, even. He's the
foxiest thing--he just worked it all out and kept grinning so
mean--but I fooled him, though. I made him think it was Fred that had
been out hunting, and that I met him, and the package had candy in it.
I had to kid him away from the subject of you--and then the big rube
got so fresh--I had the awfullest time you ever saw, Jack, getting
away from the fool.

"But the point I'm getting at is that he suspects something. He said
you hadn't been near Quincy, and there must be some reason. He said
you didn't have any mine located, because you hadn't filed any claim,
or anything. But that isn't the worst--"

"I don't care what Hank thinks." Jack pulled the collar of his coat
closer to his ears, because of the seeking wind and snow. "Get under
the cedar, while I tell you. I was going without seeing you, because I
saw you and Hank together and I didn't like the