get excited again," suggested Rimrock, but she pushed his hands
away.

"No," she said, "I kissed you once because--well, because I liked you
and--and to show that I forgive what you've done. But a woman must
consider what love might mean and I'll never marry a drunkard. I know
women who have and they all regretted it--it took all the sweetness out
of life. A woman expects so much--so much of tenderness and sympathy
and gentleness and consideration--and a drunken man is a brute. You
know it, because you've been there; and, oh, you don't know how I'd
hate you if you ever came back to me drunk! I'd leave you--I'd never
consent for a minute to so much as touch your hand--and so it's better
just to be friends."

She sighed and hurried on to a subject less unpleasant.

"Now, there's the matter of that claim. You know I hold title to the
Old Juan and it gives me control of the mine. Even Stoddard
acknowledges it, although he'll try to get around it; and if we press
him he'll take it to the courts. But now listen, Rimrock, this is a
matter of importance and I want you to help me out. I want you to
attend to getting my discovery work before the ninety days has expired.
Then we'll draw up a complete and careful agreement of just what we
want at the mine and Whitney H. Stoddard, if I know anything about him,
will be only too glad to sign it. I told him before I left him that
this chicanery must cease and that you must be given back your mine. I
told him you must run it, and that Jepson must be fired--but Rimrock,
there's one thing more."

"What's that?" enquired Rimrock rousing up from his abstraction and she
smiled and patted his hand.

"You mustn't fight him," she suggested coaxingly. "It interferes with
the work."

"Fight who?" he demanded and then he snorted. "What, me make friends
with Stoddard? Why, it's that crooked hound that's at the bottom of
all this. He's the man that's made all the trouble. Why, we were
doing fine, girl; we were regular pardners and I wasn't drinking a
drop. I was trying to make good and show you how I loved you when he
butted in on the game. He saw he couldn't beat us as long as we stood
together and so he sent out that damnable Mrs. Hardesty. He hired her
on purpose and she worked me for a sucker by feeding me up with big
words. She told me I was a wonder, and a world-beater for a gambler,
and then--well, you know the rest. I went back to New York and they
trimmed me ri