e rustle of the
crisp leaves overhead. Then she resumed, "Ef he ever got any hint of
what's come ter pass terday, I mout es well try ter hold back a
flood-tide with a splash-dam es ter hinder him from follerin' atter ye
an' trompin' ye in ther dirt like he'd tromple a rattlesnake.... But he
stands pledged ter peace an' I don't aim ter bring on no feud war ergin
by hevin' him break hit."

"Ef him an' me fell out," admitted Bas with wily encouragement of her
confessed belief, "right like others would mix inter hit."

"But ef _I_ kills ye hit won't start no war," she retorted. "A woman's
got a right ter defend herself, even hyar."

"Dorothy, I've done told ye I jest lost my head in a swivet of wrath.
Ye're jedgin' me by one minute of frenzy and lookin' over a lifetime of
trustiness."

"Ef I kills ye hit won't start no war," she reiterated, implacably,
ignoring his interruption, "an' betwixt ther two of us, I'm ther best
man--because I'm honest, an' ye're as craven as Judas was when he earned
his silver money. Ye needn't hev no fear of my tellin' Cal, but ye've
got a right good cause ter fear _me_!"

"All right, then," once more the hypocritical mask of dissimulation fell
away and the swarthy face showed black with the savagery of frustration.
"Ef ye won't hev hit no other way, go on disgustin' me--but I warns ye
thet ye kain't hold out erginst me. Ther time'll come when ye won't kick
an' fly inter tantrums erginst my kisses ... ye'll plum welcome 'em."

"Hit won't be in this world," she declared, fiercely, as her eyes
narrowed and the hand that held the knife crept out from under the
apron.

The man laughed again.

"Hit'll be right hyar on y'arth," he declared with undiminished
self-assurance; "you an' me air meant ter mate tergither like a pair of
eagles, an' some day ye're goin' ter come inter my arms of yore own free
will. I reckon I kin bide my time twell ye does."

"Eagles don't mate with snakes," she shot out at him, with a bosom
heaving to the tempest of her disgust. Then she added: "I don't even
caution ye ter stay away from this house. I hain't afeared of ye, an' I
don't want Cal ter suspicion nothin'--but don't come hyar too often ...
ye fouls ther air I breathes whenever ye enters hit."

She paused and brushed her free arm across her lips in shuddering
remembrance of his kiss, then she continued with the tone of finality:

"Now I've told ye what I wanted ter tell ye ... ef need arises ergin,
I'm go