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Jean, in his eager, hungry devouring of the beloved face, did not on the first instant grasp the significance of its expression He was seeing the features that had haunted him But quickly he interpreted her expression as the somber, hunted look of a woman ould bear no more Under the torn blouse her full breast heaved She held her hands clenched at her sides She was' listening, waiting for that jangling, slow step It caed She was a wo, dark look of fury seemed to fade back into her eyes

Colter appeared at the door, carrying a roll of blankets and a pack

"Throw the in"

That angered thestride he stepped over the doorsill, down into the cabin, and flung the blankets at her feet and then the pack after it Whereupon he deliberately sat down in the door, facing her With one hand he slid off his sombrero, which fell outside, and with the other he reached in his upper vest pocket for the little bag of tobacco that showed there All the tiht now unobstructed Jean descried Colter's face; and sight of it then sounded the roll and drum of his passions

"Wal, Ellen, I reckon we'll have it out right now an' heah," he said, and with tobacco in one hand, paper in the other he began the operations of lance frooin' to have things the way they were before--an' ers

"What do y'u mean?" she demanded

"Y'u knohat Ithis man's control over himself

"Maybe I don't I reckon y'u'd better talk plain"

The rustler had clear gray-yellow eyes, flawless, like, crystal, and suddenly they danced with little fiery flecks

"The last tiot hit for et hit again if y'u put your hands on lance on him A frorinkled the level brows

"Y'u mean that?" he asked, thickly

"I shore, do"

Manifestly he accepted her assertion So of incredulity and bewilderment, that had vied with his resentment, utterly disappeared from his face