are, keep them till I come."

"Sure!"

And off Phil went at a run.

When he was about a quarter of a mile from the house, he saw Ah Sing
amble round from the far side of the house and go in at the front
door. This had hardly taken place, when he heard the scream of a woman
in fear. A flying figure darted out and down the trail, up which Phil
was now hurrying from the beach. He failed at first to make out who
the figure was. It was followed closely by the Chinaman, crying out
his incoherent Chinese jibberish and broken English, and, despite his
years and apparent shuffling gait, he was bear-like in his agility and
gained at every step on the woman he was pursuing. She turned her head
in fear, and seeing how close to her he was she screamed again, then
collapsed in a heap.

Ah Sing stooped over her, looking down, still muttering and shaking
his fists angrily, but evidently in a quandary. He did not notice
the oncomer until he was almost by his side. Phil tossed his gun
from him, caught the Chinaman by the neck with his two hands,
lifted him off his feet and nearly shook his greasy head off in the
process. He then got him by the collar in one hand and the loose
pants in the other, raised him sheer over his head and hurled him
ten feet away, against the foot of an apple tree where he crashed and
lay in stupid semi-consciousness.

Of all the unexpected persons to Phil, the young lady who lay on the
ground was Eileen Pederstone. He raised her gently in his arms and
carried her up the pathway through the orchard and back into the
house. He set her on a camp cot and fetched her a glass of water. And
it was not long before she sat up. But the dread of something was
still upon her. She was pale and she trembled spasmodically.

She clung to Phil's arm, keeping close to him as they sat on the edge
of the cot, as if afraid that his presence were not quite the
substantial reality it seemed.

He tried his best to soothe her and to get her to explain what had
happened, but she did not answer him. He patted her back, he put his
arm about her. He pushed her hair up from her eyes. But she sat and
trembled, and would not be comforted.

She had a large towel pinned about her waist, and from the broom which
lay on the floor near the door it looked to Phil as if she had been
sweeping out the place when the Chinaman had entered.

"But you must tell me what happened!" said Phil. "Did you say or do
anything to Sing to make him angry?