wholly become a woman, and one with a driving passion to save if it
cost her life. She lost her fear of Kells, of the others, of all
except Gulden. He was not human, and instinctively she knew she
could do nothing with him. She might influence the others, but never
Gulden.

The torment in her brain eased then, and gradually she quieted down,
with only a pang and a weight in her breast. The past seemed far
away. The present was nothing. Only the future, that contained Jim
Cleve, mattered to her. She would not have left the clutches of
Kells, if at that moment she could have walked forth free and safe.
She was going on to Cabin Gulch. And that thought was the last one
in her weary mind as she dropped to sleep.




8

In three days--during which time Joan attended Kells as faithfully
as if she were indeed his wife--he thought that he had gained
sufficiently to undertake the journey to the main camp, Cabin Gulch.
He was eager to get back there and imperious in his overruling of
any opposition. The men could take turns at propping him in a
saddle. So on the morning of the fourth day they packed for the
ride.

During these few days Joan had verified her suspicion that Kells had
two sides to his character; or it seemed, rather, that her presence
developed a latent or a long-dead side. When she was with him,