for." And he patted the stock of his gun.

Instinctively I drew my revolver, and pushed its black muzzle into the
light under Jed's nose.

"Shall I give him a dose?" I asked eagerly.

"Not yit; O Lord, not yit!" he exclaimed, dancing from one foot to the
other in excitement. "Let ther ol' gal hev a show. I reckon she's good
fer ther whole three of 'em, 'less they shoot."

Bill came up grinning. He evidently anticipated some fun, and as he
reached out a grimy hand for the slab of bacon, took occasion to make
some remark. What it was I could not hear, but I noted the quick
responsive flash in the woman's eyes, and the next instant with a crash
she brought the iron skillet down with all her strength on top of the
fellow's head. Without even a groan he went plunging down, face
foremost, in front of the fire. In another moment she was battling like
a wild fury with the other two.

It was a quick, intense struggle. The man near the door chanced to be
the first in, and he received a blow from the skillet that most
assuredly would have crushed his skull had he not dodged; as it was it
landed upon his shoulder and he reeled back sick and helpless. By this
time the fellow with the red beard had closed upon her, and wrested the
skillet from her hand. Struggling fiercely back and forth across the
floor, Maria tripped over the body of the dead dog and fell, but as she
did so her fingers grasped the red beard of her antagonist. It yielded
to her hand, and bare of face, save for a dark moustache, the man stood
there, panting for breath, above her. Then suddenly, almost at my very