she's cut out for better things.{~HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS~} I'm off her!"

This immediately provoked Ramon's interest. He went to the lunch room at a
time when he knew there would be few customers. When he saw the girl he
felt a faint thrill. The reason for this was that Dora McArdle somewhat
resembled Julia. The resemblance was slight and superficial, yet instantly
noticeable. She was a little larger, but had about the same figure, and
the same colour of hair, and above all the same sensuous, provocative
mouth. Ramon followed her with his eyes until she became conscious of his
scrutiny, when she tossed her head with that elaborate affectation of
queenly scorn, which seems to be the special talent of waitresses
everywhere. Nevertheless, when she came to take his order she gave him a
pleasant smile. He saw now that she was not really like Julia. She was
coarse and commonplace, but she was also shapely, ripe-breasted,
good-natured, full of the appeal of a healthy animalism.

"What time do you get done here?" Ramon enquired.

"Don't know that it's any of your business," she replied with another one
of her crushing tosses of the head, and went away to get his order. When
she came back he asked again.

"What time did you say?"

"Well, about nine o'clock, if it'll give you any pleasure to know."

"I'll come for you in my car," he told her.

"Oh! will you?" and she paid no more attention to him until he started to
go, when she gave him a broad smile, showing a couple of gold teeth.

At nine o'clock he was waiting for her at the door, and she went with him.
He took her for a drive on the _mesa_, heading for the only road house
which the vicinity boasted. It was a great stone house, which had been
built long ago by a rich man, and had later fallen into the hands of an
Italian named Salvini, who installed a bar, and had both private dining
rooms and bed rooms, these latter available only to patrons in whom he had
the utmost confidence. This resort was informally known as the "chicken
ranch."

When Ramon tried to take his fair partner there, on the plea that they
must have a bite to eat, she objected.

"I don't believe that place is respectable," she told him very primly. "I
don't think you ought to ask me to go there."

"O Hell!" said Ramon to himself. But aloud he proposed that they should
drive to an adjacent hill-top from which the lights of the town could be
seen. When he had parked the car on this vantage point and