"worth hundreds" to him. But she grew pale, her eyes became peculiarly
brilliant, her voice took a lower key, and lost a kind of hoarseness it
had in the past. Men came in at times merely to have a joke at her
expense, having heard of her new life; but they failed to enjoy their own
attempts at humour. Women of her class came also, some with half-
uncertain jibes, some with a curious wistfulness, and a few with scornful
oaths; but the jibes and oaths were only for a time. It became known
that she had paid the coach fare of Miss Dido (as she was called) to the
hospital at Wapiti, and had raised a subscription for her maintenance
there, heading it herself with a liberal sum. Then the atmosphere round
her became less trying; yet her temper remained changeable, and had it
not been that she was good-looking and witty, her position might have
been insecure. As it was, she ruled in a neutral territory where she was
the only woman. One night, after an inclement remark to Jacques, in the
card-room, Blanche came back to the bar, and not noticing that, while she
was gone, Soldier Joe had entered and laid himself down on a bench in a
corner, she threw her head passionately forward on her arms as they
rested on the counter, and cried: "O my God! my God!"

Soldier Joe lay still as if sleeping, and when Blanche was called away
again he rose, stole out, went down to Freddy Tarlton's office, and
offered to bet Freddy two to one that Blanche wouldn't live a year.
Joe's experience of women was limited. He had in his mind the case
of a girl who had accidentally smothered her child; and so he said:

"Blanche has something on her mind that's killing her, Freddy. When
trouble fixes on her sort it kills swift and sure. They've nothing to
live for but life, and it isn't good enough, you see, for--for--"
Joe paused to find out where his philosophy was taking him.