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In the end, when her awakening came, she learned that she had builded better than she knew Lassiter, though kinder and gentler than ever, had parted with his quaint humor and his coldness and his tranquillity to become a restless and unhappy man Whatever the power of his deadly intent toward Mor and consu Jane Withersteen had one e uneasiness What if she had made of herself a lure, at treht in thesuddenly in the path, she faced Lassiter and leaned close to him, so that she touched him and her eyes looked up to his

"Lassiter!Will you do anything for e, and by that change she seemed to feel him immovable as a wall of stone

Jane slipped her hands down to the swinging gun-sheaths, and when she had locked her fingers around the huge, cold handles of the guns, she tre ripple over all her body

"May I take your guns?"

"Why?" he asked, and for the first time to her his voice carried a harsh note Jane felt his hard, strong hands close round her wrists It was not wholly with intent that she leaned toward him, for the look of his eyes and the feel of his hands made her weak

"It's no trifle--no woman's whim--it's deep--as my heart Letmore men--Mormons You must let me save you from more wickedness--more wanton bloodshed--" Then the truth forced itself falteringly from her lips "You must--let--help me to keep --that if ever any one cae her--I swore I would stay his hand Perhaps I--I alone can save the--the e you--then soon you'll be out to kill--and you'll kill by instinct--and a the Mormons you kill will be the one--whoLassiter, if you care a little for uns!"

As if her hands had been those of a child, he unclasped their clinging grip fro her away, he turned his gray face to her in one look of terrible realization and then strode off into the shadows of the cottonwoods

When the first shock of her futile appeal to Lassiter had passed, Jane took his cold, silent condemnation and abrupt departure not so much as a refusal to her entreaty as a hurt and stunned bitterness for her atteht and slow consideration of Lassiter's past actions, she believed he would return and forgive her The man could not be hard to a woman, and she doubted that he could stay away from her But at the point where she had hoped to find hiainst all persuasion The iron and stone quality that she had early suspected in hinable barrier Nevertheless, if Lassiter reive up her hope and desire to change hi dear to her except hope of heaven