ing exercises, which
consisted of an examination by the Girl of their general appearance.

"Let me see your hands," she said to the man nearest to her; a glance
was sufficient, and he was expelled from her presence. "Let me see
yours, Sonora," she commanded.

Holding his hands behind his back the man addressed moved towards her
slowly, for he was conscious of the grime that was on them. Before he
had spoken his apology she ordered him none too gently to go and wash
them, ending with an emphatic:

"Git!"

"Yes'm," was his meek answer, though he called back as he disappeared:
"Been blackenin' my boots."

The Girl took up the word quickly.

"Boots! Yes, an' look at them boots!" And as each man came up to her,
"An' them boots! an' them boots! Get in there the whole lot o' you an'
be sure that you leave your whisky behind."

When all had left the room save Nick, who stood with her cape on his arm
near the desk she suddenly became conscious that she still had her hood
on, and at once began to remove it--a proceeding which brought out
clearly the extraordinary pallor of her face which, generally, had a
bright, healthy colouring. Now she beckoned to Nick to draw near. No
need for her to speak, for he had caught the questioning look in her
eyes, and it told him plainer than any words that she was anxious to
hear of her lover. He was about to tell her the little he knew when with
lips that trembled she finally whispered:

"Have you heard anythin'? Do you think he got through safe?"

Nick nodded in the affirmative.

"I saw 'im off, you know," she went on in the same low voice; then,
before Nick could speak, she concluded anxiously: "But s'pose he don't
git through?"

"Oh, he'll git through sure! We'll hear he's out of this country pretty
quick," consoled the little barkeeper just as Rance, unperceived by
them, quietly entered the room and went over to a chair by the stove.

XVI.

No man had more of a dread of the obvious than the Sheriff. His
position, he felt, was decidedly an unpleasant one. Nevertheless, in the
silence that followed the Girl's discovery of his presence, he struggled
to appear his old self. He was by no means unconscious of the fact that
he had omitted his usual cordial greeting to her, and he felt that she
must be scrutinising him, feature by feature. When, therefore, he shot a
covert glance at her, it was with surprise that he saw an appealing look
in her eyes.

"Oh, Jack, I want to