He looked into the storm and fury of her face, hiding he knew not what
of terror, and laughed in insolent delight. Then, very deliberately,
he kissed her lips.

"You-- coward!" came instantly her choking defiance.

"Another for that," he laughed, kissing her again.

Her little fist beat against his face and he captured it, but as he
looked at her something that had come into the girl's face moved his
not very accessible heart. The salt of the adventure was gone, his
victory worse than a barren one. For stark fear stared at him, naked
and unconcealed, and back of that he glimpsed a subtle something that
he dimly recognized for the outraged maidenly modesty he had so
ruthlessly trampled upon. His hands fell to his side reluctantly.

She stumbled back against the tree trunk, watching him with fascinated
eyes that searched him anxiously. They found their answer, and with a
long ragged breath the girl turned and burst into hysterical tears.

The man was amazed. A moment since the fury of a tigress had possessed
her. Now she was all weak womanish despair. She leaned against the
cottonwood and buried her face in her arm, the while uneven sobs shook
her slender body. He frowned resentfully at this change of front, and
because his calloused conscience was disturbed he began to justify
himself. Why didn't she play it out instead of coming the baby act on
him? She had undertaken to hold him up and he had made her pay
forfeit. He didn't see that she had any kick coming. If she was this
kind of a boarding-school kid she ought not to have monkeyed with the
buzz-saw. She was lucky he didn't take her to El Paso with him and