nd he was staring with mild, surprised eyes.

The moment held Shefford mute till sight of Fay Larkin's tear-wet face
broke the spell. He leaped forward and his strong hands reached for the
woman and the man.

"Jane Withersteen!... Lassiter! I have found you!"

"Oh, sir, who are you?" she cried, with rich and deep and quivering
voice. "This child came running--screaming. She could not speak. We
thought she had gone mad--and escaped to come back to us."

"I am John Shefford," he replied, swiftly. "I am a friend of Bern
Venters--of his wife Bess. I learned your story. I came west. I've
searched a year. I found Fay. And we've come to take you away."

"You found Fay? But that masked Mormon who forced her to sacrifice
herself to save us!... What of him? It's not been so many long years--I
remember what my father was--and Dyer and Tull--all those cruel
churchmen."

"Waggoner is dead," replied Shefford.

"Dead? She is free! Oh, what--how did he die?"

"He was killed."

"Who did it?"

"That's no matter," replied Shefford, stonily, and he met her gaze with
steady eyes. "He's out of the way. Fay was never his wife. Fay's free.
We've come to take you out of the country. We must hurry. We'll be
tracked--pursued. But we've horses and an Indian guide. We'll get
away.... I think it better to leave here at once. There's no telling how
soon we'll be hunted. Get what things you want to take with you."

"Oh--yes--Mother Jane, let us hurry!" cried Fay. "I'm so full--I can't
talk--my heart hurts so!"

Jane Withersteen's face shone with an exceedingly radiant light, and a
glory blended with a terrible fear in her eyes.

"Fay! my little Fay!"

Lassiter had stood there with his mild, clear blue eyes upon Shefford.

"I shore am glad to see you--all," he drawled, and extended his hand as
if the meeting were casual. "What'd you say your name was?"

Shefford repeated it as he met the proffered hand.

"How's Bern an' Bess?" Lassiter inquired.

"They were well, prosperous, happy when last I saw them.... They had a
baby."

"Now ain't thet fine?... Jane, did you hear? Bess has a baby. An', Jane,
didn't I always say Bern would come back to get us out? Shore it's just
the same."

How cool, easy, slow, and mild this Lassiter seemed! Had the man grown
old, Shefford wondered? The past to him manifestly was only yesterday,
and the danger of the present was as nothing. Looking in Lassiter's
face, Shefford was baffled. If he had not r