ry sustained.

Ellen felt on her lips a scornful allusion to his half-breed Indian
traits and the reputation that had preceded him. But she could not
utter it.

"No," she replied.

"It's hard to call a woman a liar," he returned, bitterly. But you
must be--seein' you're a Jorth.

"Liar! Not to y'u, Jean Isbel," she retorted. "I'd not lie to y'u to
save my life."

He studied her with keen, sober, moody intent. The dark fire of his
eyes thrilled her.

"If that's true, I'm glad," he said.

"Shore it's true. I've no idea why y'u came heah."

Ellen did have a dawning idea that she could not force into oblivion.
But if she ever admitted it to her consciousness, she must fail in the
contempt and scorn and fearlessness she chose to throw in this man's
face.

"Does old Sprague live here?" asked Isbel.

"Yes. I expect him back soon.... Did y'u come to see him?"

"No.... Did Sprague tell you anythin' about the row he saw me in?"

"He--did not," replied Ellen, lying with stiff lips. She who had sworn
she could not lie! She felt the hot blood leaving her heart, mounting
in a wave. All her conscious will seemed impelled to deceive. What
had she to hide from Jean Isbel? And a still, small voice replied that
she had to hide the Ellen Jorth who had waited for him that day, who
had spied upon him, who had treasured a gift she could not destroy, who
had hugged to her miserable heart the fact that he had fought for her
name.

"I'm glad of that," Isbel was saying, thoughtfully.

"Did you come heah to see me?" interrupted Ellen. She felt that she
could not endure this reiterated suggestion of fineness, of
consideration in him. She would betray herself--betray what she did
not even realize herself. She must force other footing--and that
should be the one of strife between the Jorths and Isbels.

"No--honest, I didn't, Miss Ellen," he rejoined, humbly. "I'll tell
you, presently, why I came. But it wasn't to see you.... I don't deny
I wanted ... but that's no matter. You didn't meet me that day on the
Rim."

"Meet y'u!" she echoed, coldly. "Shore y'u never expected me?"

"Somehow I did," he replied, with those penetrating eyes on her. "I put
somethin' in your tent that day. Did you find it?"

"Yes," she replied, with the same casual coldness.

"What did you do with it?"

"I kicked it out, of course," she replied.

She saw him flinch.

"And you never opened it?"

"Certainly not," she retorted,