"Man," said he, as he gripped my arm, "you see, up there on Carrizo,
the big canon where we hunt bear. You know, up there at the end,
there's a big pine tree. Well, now, if you or any of the citizens of
this commercial emporium should require the legal services of the late
Daniel Anderson, you go up the canon and look up the tree. I'll be
there. I'm scared."

By this I knew that he would, in all likelihood, meet the stage and
help Eve to alight at Heart's Desire. Moreover, I reproached him as
having been deliberately a party to this invasion. "You've been
writing back home to the girl," I said. "That is not playing the game.
That's violation of the creed. You're renegade. Then go back home.
You don't belong here!"

"I'm not! I won't! I didn't!" he retorted. "I didn't write--at least
only a few times. I tried not to--but I couldn't help it. Man, I tell
you I couldn't _help_ it."

CHAPTER VI

EVE AT HEART'S DESIRE

_How the Said Eve arrived on the Same Stage with Eastern Capital, to
the Interest of All, and the Embarrassment of Some._

The sun drew on across the enchanted valley and began to sink toward
the rim of the distant Baxter Peak. The tremendous velvet robes of the
purple evening shadows dropped slowly down upon the majestic shoulders
of Carrizo, guardian of the valley. A delicious kindness came into the
air, sweet, although no flower was in all that land, and soft, though
this was far from any sea, unless it were the waters immeasurably deep
beneath this sun-dried soil. There was no cloud even at the falling of
the sun, but the gun had no harshness in his glow. There was a blue
and purple mystery over all the world, and calm and sweetness and
strength came down as it were a mantle. Ah, never in all the world was
a place like this Eden, this man's Eden of Heart's Desire!

A gentle wind sighed up the valley from the narrow canon mouth, as it
did every day. There was no variableness. Surprises did not come
thither. The world ran always in one pleasant and unchanging groove.
But the breeze this evening brought no smile of content to Dan
Anderson's face as he sat waiting for the coming of the new and fateful
visitor to our ancient Eden.

"They'll be about at the Carrizoso Springs now," said Dan Anderson,
"twelve miles away down the trail. Can't you smell the cold cream?"

This was beyond ken, but he became more explicit. "Cold cream to the
eyes and ears," said he. "To the