al
recital, in a cadence always easy, and more and more musical with the
native accent of the South. With the light turn he gave it, its pure
ugliness melted into charm.

"No, he don't think anything of me. Once a man in the John Day Valley
didn't think much, and by Canada de Oro I met another. It will always be
so here and there, but Trampas beats 'em all. For the others have always
expressed themselves--got shut of their poor opinion in the open air."

"Yu' see, I had to explain myself to Trampas a right smart while ago,
long before ever I laid my eyes on yu'. It was just nothing at all. A
little matter of cyards in the days when I was apt to spend my money and
my holidays pretty headlong. My gracious, what nonsensical times I have
had! But I was apt to win at cyards, 'specially poker. And Trampas, he
met me one night, and I expect he must have thought I looked kind o'
young. So he hated losin' his money to such a young-lookin' man, and he
took his way of sayin' as much. I had to explain myself to him plainly,
so that he learned right away my age had got its growth.

"Well, I expect he hated that worse, having to receive my explanation
with folks lookin' on at us publicly that-a-way, and him without further
ideas occurrin' to him at the moment. That's what started his poor
opinion of me, not havin' ideas at the moment. And so the boys resumed
their cyards.

"I'd most forgot about it. But Trampas's mem'ry is one of his strong
points. Next thing--oh, it's a good while later--he gets to losin' flesh
because Judge Henry gave me charge of him and some other punchers taking
cattle--"

"That's not next," interrupted the girl.

"Not? Why--"

"Don't you remember?" she said, timid, yet eager. "Don't you?"

"Blamed if I do!"

"The first time we met?"

"Yes; my mem'ry keeps that--like I keep this." And he brought from his
pocket her own handkerchief, the token he had picked up at a river's
brink when he had carried her from an overturned stage.

"We did not exactly meet, then," she said. "It was at that dance. I
hadn't seen you yet; but Trampas was saying something horrid about me,
and you said--you said, 'Rise on your legs, you pole cat, and tell them
you're a liar.' When I heard that, I think--I think it finished me." And
crimson suffused Molly's countenance.

"I'd forgot," the Virginian murmured. Then sharply, "How did you hear
it?"

"Mrs. Taylor--"

"Oh! Well, a man would never have told a woman that."

M