thing like a groan. "A week--a week in her cabin--nursed
and kissed . . ." he finished shortly.

Nick had been helping himself to a drink; he wheeled swiftly round,
confronting him.

"Oh, say, Rance, she--"

Rance took the words out of his mouth.

"Never kissed him! You bet she kissed him! It was all I could do to keep
from telling the whole camp he was up there." His eyes blazed and his
hands tightened convulsively.

"But you didn't . . ." Nick broke in on him quickly. "If I hadn't been
let into the game by the Girl I'd a thought you were a level Sheriff
lookin' for him. Rance, you're my ideal of a perfect gent."

Rance braced up in his chair.

"What did she see in that Sacramento shrimp, will you tell me?"
presently he questioned, contempt showing on every line of his face.

The little barkeeper did not answer at once, but filled a glass with
whisky which he handed to him.

"Well, you see, I figger it out this way, boss," at last he answered,
meeting him face to face frankly, earnestly, his foot the while resting
on the other's chair. "Love's like a drink that gits a hold on you an'
you can't quit. It's a turn of the head or a touch of the hands, or it's
a half sort of smile, an' you're doped, doped, doped with a feelin' like
strong liquor runnin' through your veins, an' there ain't nothin' on
earth can break it up once you've got the habit. That's love."

Touched by the little barkeeper's droll philosophy, the Sheriff dropped
his head on his breast, while the hand which held the glass
unconsciously fell to his side.

"I've got it," went on Nick with enthusiasm; "you've got it; the boy's
got it; the Girl's got it; the whole damn world's got it. It's all the
heaven there is on earth, an' in nine cases out of ten it's hell."

Rance opened his lips to speak, but quickly drew them in tightly. The
next instant Nick touched him lightly on the shoulder and pointed to the
empty glass in his hand, the contents having run out upon the floor.

With a mere glance at the empty glass Rance returned it to Nick.
Presently, then, he took out his watch and fell to studying its face
intently, and only when he had finally returned the watch to his pocket
did he voice what was in his mind.

"Well, Nick," he said, "her road agent's got off by now."

Whereupon, the barkeeper, too, took out his watch and consulted it.

"Left Cloudy at three o'clock this morning--five hours off . . ." was
his brief comment.

Once more a s