does. An' so I come
an' got ye." He guffawed over his wit. "If ye'll behave I'll let loose
o' ye a mite, an' we'll stroll along a matter of a few mile to whar
Garry's waitin' awful impatient."

Suddenly, unreasoning fear surged up in Plutina, brimmed over in a
torrent of pleading words. She knew the uselessness of appeal to this
callous wretch. But the instinct of terror in her horrible situation
mastered the girl, so that she forgot pride, and besought his mercy.
She was ghastly pale, and the dilated eyes were almost black, with a
stricken look in their clouded depths. Her voice was shaking.

"Lemme go Dan--lemme go. Ye've done got even with me now fer yistiddy.
Lemme go--I ax it of ye, Dan. I done ye dirt yistiddy, 'cause I was
scared o' ye. An' I'm scared o' ye now, Dan. Lemme go home, an' I
won't never tell nobody how ye kotched me."

She had raised her eyes beseechingly. Now, as she saw the smug mockery
on her captor's face, she fell silent. The futility of any pleading
was too plain. Her eyes shifted to the ground again. But the first
wild fear was past, and she began to think with some clearness. At
once, it occurred to her that she must guard her strength jealously.
She had already wasted too much in vain physical struggling and in
vainer emotional outbursts. She must save her energies henceforth both
of body and of mind, that she might have wherewith to contrive, escape
and wherewith to accomplish it, or wherewith to fight against a
lustful brute to the very death.

Hodges spoke approval.

"Ye're gittin' sense. Better save yer breath to cool yer porrich, stid
o' wastin' hit a-whinin' to me. But I shore admire fer to hear ye
squawk. Ye hain't quite so damned uppitty as ye was yistiddy."

"I 'low I must do what ye says," Plutina agreed, listlessly. She felt
very weary, now that the reaction was upon her. At whatever cost, she
must have an interval in which to recover from this weakness.

"Thet's the ticket!" Hodges exclaimed, with a jovialty meant to be
winning. He went behind her, and loosened the knot he had last tied,
so that her wrists, although still fast bound, had a little play. The
length of the loop allowed him to move by her side with it over his
arm. "You-all jest mosey acrost to thet-thar birch clump," he
directed, pointing. "I got a rifle-gun yender, what I kain't noways do
without."

Plutina walked obediently at his side in the direction indicated, and
stood passively while he picked up t