s news to me--an' not what I want to heah."

"Wal, y'u may as well heah it right now," he said. "It's true. An'
what's more--your dad gave y'u to me before he died."

"What! Colter, y'u must be a liar."

"Ellen, I swear I'm not lyin'," he returned, in eager passion. "I was
with your dad last an' heard him last. He shore knew I'd loved y'u for
years. An' he said he'd rather y'u be left in my care than anybody's."

"My father gave me to y'u in marriage!" ejaculated Ellen, in
bewilderment.

Colter's ready assurance did not carry him over this point. It was
evident that her words somewhat surprised and disconcerted him for the
moment.

"To let me marry a rustler--one of the Hash Knife Gang!" exclaimed
Ellen, with weary incredulity.

"Wal, your dad belonged to Daggs's gang, same as I do," replied Colter,
recovering his cool ardor.

"No!" cried Ellen.

"Yes, he shore did, for years," declared Colter, positively. "Back in
Texas. An' it was your dad that got Daggs to come to Arizona."

Ellen tried to fling herself away. But her strength and her spirit
were ebbing, and Colter increased the pressure of his arm. All at once
she sank limp. Could she escape her fate? Nothing seemed left to
fight with or for.

"All right--don't hold me--so tight," she panted. "Now tell me how dad
was killed ... an' who--who--"

Colter bent over so he could peer into her face. In the darkness Ellen
just caught the gleam of his eyes. She felt the virile force of the
man in the strain of his body as he pressed her close. It all seemed
unreal--a hideous dream--the gloom, the moan of the wind, the weird
solitude, and this rustler with hand and will like cold steel.

"We'd come back to Greaves's store," Colter began. "An' as Greaves was
daid we all got free with his liquor. Shore some of us got drunk.
Bruce was drunk, an' Tad in there--he was drunk. Your dad put away
more 'n I ever seen him. But shore he wasn't exactly drunk. He got
one of them weak an' shaky spells. He cried an' he wanted some of us
to get the Isbels to call off the fightin'.... He shore was ready to
call it quits. I reckon the killin' of Daggs--an' then the awful way
Greaves was cut up by Jean Isbel--took all the fight out of your dad.
He said to me, 'Colter, we'll take Ellen an' leave this heah
country--an' begin life all over again--where no one knows us.'"

"Oh, did he really say that? ... Did he--really mean it?" murmured
Ellen, with a sob.

"