f to meet me. And every woman will envy my wife. I'm young,
Kiddo, but I've cut my eye teeth. You've just been born. I'm running the
business end of this thing. You think you can reform me. You can--AFTER
I'VE MADE OUR PILE. I'll join the church then and sing louder than that
lawyer. But if you think you're going to stop my business career at this
stage of the game--forget it, forget it!"

He sprang up with a quick movement of his tense body and threw her off.
She rose and watched his restless steps as he paced the floor. Her mind
was numb as if from a mortal blow. She brushed the tangled ringlets of
brown hair back from her forehead, drew the handkerchief from her belt
and wiped the perspiration from her brow.

Before she could gather the strength to speak, he wheeled suddenly and
confronted her:

"I've known from the first, Kiddo, that you're not the kind to help in
this business. I don't expect it. I don't ask it. I need a ranch
like this down here for storage. I'm going to take the old woman into
partnership with me."

She started back in an instinctive recoil of horror.

"Your MOTHER?"

He nodded.

"Yep!"

She drew a step nearer and peered into his set face.

"YOU WILL MAKE YOUR OWN MOTHER A CRIMINAL?"

"Sure!" he growled. "That's what I came down here for."

"She won't do it!"

"She won't, eh?" he sneered. "Look at this hog pen!"

He swept the bare, wretched cabin with a gesture of contempt and
shrugged his shoulders.

"Look at the rags she's wearing," he went on savagely. "When we talk
it over tonight with that five thousand dollars in gold shining in
her eyes--I'm going to show her a lot o' things she never saw before,
Kiddo--take it from me!"

She answered in slow, even tones:

"I can't live with you, Jim."

The blue flames beneath the drooping eyelids were leaping now in the
yellow glare of the candle's rays. The muscles of his body were knotted.
His voice came from his throat a low growl.

"Do you know who you're fooling with?"

The blood of a clean life flamed in her cheeks and nerved her with
reckless daring. Her figure stiffened and her voice rang with defiant
scorn:

"Yes. I know at last--a thief who would drag his own mother down to hell
with him!"

Not a muscle of his powerful body moved; his face was a stolid mask. He
threw his words slowly through his teeth:

"Now you listen to me. You're my wife. I didn't invent this marriage
game. I played it as I found it. And that's