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Venters dreaded the night's vigil At night his mind was active, and this tiirl whom he had all but murdered A thousand excuses he invented for himself, yet not one made any difference in his act or his self-reproach

It seeht fell black he could see her white face so o, presently," he said, "and be out of agony--thank God!"

Every little while certainty of her death came to him with a shock; and then he would bend over and lay his ear on her breast

Her heart still beat

The early night blackness cleared to the cold starlight The horses were not , and no sound disturbed the deathly silence of the canyon

"I'll bury her here," thought Venters, "and let her grave be as irl's feords, the look of her eyes, the prayer, had strangely touched Venters

"She was only a girl," he soliloquized "What was she to Oldring?

Rustlers don't have wives nor sisters nor daughters She was bad--that's all But soly become the companion of rustlers That prayer of hers to God for e and cruel I wonder if other h But as his gaers hide and lock their doors A name credited with a dozen s of cattle What part did the girl have in this? Itto create mystery"

Hours passed The white stars moved across the narrow strip of dark-blue sky above The silence awoke to the low hum of insects

Venters watched the i for death, the infaht only of the sadness, the truth of the mo and she was dying

The after-part of the night wore on interlooray of dawn,"soray lightened and day peeped over the eastern riirl She still lived Did he only ihtly, but stronger? He pressed his ear closer to her breast And he rose with his own pulse quickening