.
But Allison's acceptance of that arrangement as time passed grew less
patient.

For a time he was content to stroll along with the rest--content with
his facetious comments on Elliott's explanation of this matter or that.
Yet whenever his eyes strayed toward Miriam and that other figure whom
a week or two before he had designated as "my man, O'Mara," his
jovialty faltered a little, his manner grew restive. After a time he,
too, detached himself and sauntered in the direction of that wholly
preoccupied pair.

"See here, my lady," he accosted the girl, who turned extremely bright
eyes upon his approach. "This won't do at all. How do you suppose I
am going to get a minute with Mr. O'Mara, here, if you persist in
clinging to his elbow? You'll have to run along--you run over and
listen, with the rest, to Elliott's heroic tale of this scarring of the
face of nature. I've waited a good many days to talk business with Mr.
O'Mara; I'm not going to lose him, now I've got him cornered."

Had Dexter Allison been less occupied with other thoughts, the face
which Miriam Burrell turned toward him would have surprised him, if
only because of the unusual color burning in her cheeks. At that he
was vaguely aware that he had never before seen that quiet,
self-contained girl so pulsingly happy. She stood and gazed at him a
moment, then made him a low and mocking obeisance.

"Don't flatter yourself that I haven't noted your covetous glances,"
she flashed. "I've been talking very fast, because I knew this
interruption was coming. But we've finished, thank you, so I'll leave
you to--to bore him now!"

She turned back toward O'Mara. "And thank you," she murmured not very
audibly. "Thank you, more than I ever thanked anybody before in my
life. You've made me very, very happy."

No one could have missed the depth of real thankfulness in those last
words. Even Allison stood astonished at it, mouth open, following her
rapid withdrawal toward the group fifty yards away.

"Huh-h-h," he snorted. "Huh-h-h. A mighty strange girl!" And then,
as abruptly as he had interrupted their low conversation, "Well, how
does it go, Chief? How does it look to you, as far as you've gone?"

No man's good humor could be more infectious than was that of this big,
noisily garbed man. Steve smiled and met his cordiality more than half
way.

"Not too bad," he answered. "Not too bad." He swept the ground before
them with a short gesture.