brawny youth with a
hunting-knife in his belt.

"Dusk," he was saying, "I'm not such a chicken hearted chap as to let a
gal go back on me. Ye sed I mout hev yer comp'ny home, 'n' I'm a-gwine
to hev it, Dave Humes or no Dave Humes."

Dusk merely smiled tolerantly.

"Are ye?" she said.

Rebecca Noble, who stood within a few feet of them, was sure that the
lover who approached was the Dave Humes in question, he advanced with
such an angry stride, and laying his hand on his rival's shoulder,
turned him aside so cavalierly.

"No he aint," he put in; "not an' me about. I brought ye, an' I'll take
ye home, Lodusky, or me and him 'll settle it."

The other advanced a step, looking a trifle pale and disheveled. He
placed himself square in front of Lodusky.

"Dusk Dunbar," he said, "you're the one to settle it. Which on us is
a-gwine home with ye--me or him? Ye haint promised the two of us, hev
ye?"

There was certainly a suddenly lit spark of exultation in the girl's
coolly dropped eyes.

"Settle it betwixt ye," she answered with her exasperating half smile
again.

They had attracted attention by this time, and were becoming the centre
figures of a group of lookers-on.

The first had evidently lost his temper. She was the one who should
settle it, he proclaimed loudly again. She had promised one man her
"comp'ny" and had come with another.

There was so much fierce anger in his face that Miss Noble drew a little
nearer, and felt her own blood warmed.

"Which on us is it to be?" he cried.

There was a quick, strong movement on the part of the young man Dave,
and he was whirled aside for a second time.

"It's to be me," he was answered. "I'm the man to settle that--I don't
leave it to no gal to settle."

In two seconds the lookers-on fell back in dismay, and there was a cry
of terror from the women. Two lithe, long-limbed figures were struggling
fiercely together, and there was a flash of knives in the air.

Rebecca Noble sprang forward.

"They will kill each other," she said. "Stop them!"

That they would have done each other deadly injury seemed more than
probable, but there were cool heads and hands as strong as their own in
the room, and in a few minutes they had been dragged apart and stood,
each held back by the arms, staring at each other and panting. The lank
peacemaker in blue jeans who held Dave Humes shook him gently and with
amiable toleration of his folly.

"Look 'ere, boys," he said, "thi