'll do it?"

"A woman in love will do anything."

Burrell seized the little man by the hand. "If I had known more law you
needn't have given me this hint."

"I must go now to this Stark," said the Father; "he may need me. But
first I shall talk with Necia. Poor child, she is in a difficult
position, standing between the love of John Gale and the loyalty she
owes her father. I--I fear I cannot counsel her as well as I ought, for
I am very weak and human. You had better come with me; perhaps the plea
of a lover may have more weight than the voice of reason." As they
started towards the house, he continued, energetically: "Young man, I'm
beginning to live once more. Do you know, sometimes I think I was not
designed for this vocation, and, just between you and me, there was a
day when--" He paused and coughed a trifle, then said, sharply, "Well,
what are you waiting for?"

Together they went into the trader's house.

Back in the store there was silence after the priest and the soldier
went out, which Gale broke at last:

"This forgiveness talk is all right, I suppose--but _I_ WANT RUNNION!"

"We'll git him, too," growled Lee, at which Poleon uttered a curt
exclamation:

"No!"

"Why not?" said the miner.

"Wal," the Canadian drawled, slowly, then paused to light the cigarette
he had rolled in a bit of wrapping-paper, inhaled the smoke deeply to
the bottom of his lungs, held it there a moment, and blew it out
through mouth and nostrils before adding, "you'll jus' be wastin' tam'!"

Gale looked up from beneath his thatch of brow, and asked, quietly:

"Why?"

"You 'member--story I tol' you wan day, two, t'ree mont' ago," Poleon
remarked, with apparent evasion, "'bout Johnny Platt w'at I ketch on de
Porcupine all et up by skeeter-bugs?"

"I do," answered Gale.

"Wal,"--he met their eyes squarely, then drew another long breath from
his cigarette--"I'm jus' hopin' nobody don' pick it up dis Runnion
feller de same way. Mebbe dey fin' hees han's tie' behin' 'im wit'
piece of hees shirt-"

"Good God!" cried the trader, starting to his feet. "You--you--"

"--of course, I'm jus' s'posin'. He was feel purty good w'en I lef'. He
was feel so good I tak' hees coat for keepin' off dem bugs from me,
biccause I lef it my own shirt on de canoe. He's nice feller dat way;
he give up easy. Ba gosh! I never see worse place for skeeters!"

Gale fell silent, and "No Creek" Lee began to swear in little, useless,
ineffective oa