him to shrug his shoulders. Yet underneath the tan there was the glow
of perfect young health; the eyes were frank, brave, unflinching; while
the rounded chin held a world of character in its firm contour.
Somehow the sight of this brought back to him that abiding faith in her
"dead gameness" which had first awakened his admiration. "She's got it
in her," he thought, silently, "and, by thunder! I 'm here to help her
get it out."

"Kid," he ventured at last, turning over a broken fragment of rock
between his restless fingers, but without lifting his eyes, "you were
talking while we came up the trail about how we 'd do this and that
after a while. You don't suppose I 'm going to have any useless girl
like you hanging around on to me, do you?"

She glanced quickly about at him, as though such unexpected expressions
startled her from a pleasant reverie. "Why, I--I thought that was the
way you planned it yesterday," she exclaimed, doubtfully.

"Oh, yesterday! Well, you see, yesterday I was sort of dreaming;
to-day I am wide awake, and I 've about decided, Kid, that for your own
good, and my comfort, I 've got to shake you."

A sudden gleam of fierce resentment leaped into the dark eyes, the
unrestrained glow of a passion which had never known control. "Oh, you
have, have you, Mister Bob Hampton? You have about decided! Well, why
don't you altogether decide? I don't think I'm down on my knees
begging you for mercy. Good Lord! I reckon I can get along all right
without you--I did before. Just what happened to give you such a
change of heart?"