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"Girl, have y'u lost your nerve?" he demanded

"My God! Colter--cain't y'u see?" she implored "Won't y'u take rihts out of this Isbel"

"No!" she cried "Take ive in--I'll be what y'u--want Y'u can do with me--as y'u like"

Colter's lofty frae he cleared the threshold to loom over her

"Am I out of my haid, or are y'u?" he asked, in low, hoarse voice His darkly corded face expressed extre an inch nearer him, her white face uplifted, her dark eyes unreadable in their eloquence and mystery "I've no friend but y'u I'll be--yours I'm lost What does it matter? If y'u want me--take me NOW--before I killaboot y'u," he responded "Did y'u tell the truth--when y'u denied ever bein' a sweetheart of Simm Bruce?"

"Yes, I told y'u the truth"

"Ahuh! An' how do y'u account for layin' ue to?"

"Oh, it was temper I wanted to be let alone"

"Terio I couldn't touch y'u"

"Y'u may now--if y'u proot on my nerves I couldn't sleep heah with that Isbel hidin' around Could y'u?"

"Wal, I reckon I'd not sleep very deep"

"Then let us go"

He shook his lean, eagle-like head in slow, doubtful veheaze studied her distrustfully Yet all the while there wasframe an almost irrepressible violence, held in abeyance to his will

"That aboot your bein' so good?" he inquired, with a return of thedrawl

"Never mind what's past," she flashed, with passion dark as his "I've made my offer"

"Shore there's a lie aboot y'u somewhere," he muttered, thickly

"Man, could I do more?" she demanded, in scorn

"No But it's a lie," he returned "Y'u'll get me to take y'u away an' then fool me--run off--God knohat Women are all liars"