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The darkness lightened, turned to slow-drifting haze, and lifted

Through a thin filh-hewn timbers of the court roof A cool, damp touch moved across her brow She salvanized her suspended thought She s with her head on Lassiter's knee, and he was bathing her broater froht into range of her sight a sun and splashes of blood

"Ah-h!" she ain into darkness, when Lassiter's voice arrested her

"It's all right, Jane It's all right"

"Did--you--kill--him?" she whispered

"Who? That fat party as here? No I didn't kill him"

"Oh!Lassiter!"

"Say! It was queer for you to faint I thought you were such a strong woht now--only soht you'd never come to But I'm aard round women folks I couldn't think of anythin'"

"Lassiter!the gun there!the blood!"

"So that's troublin' you I reckon it needn't You see it was this way I come round the house an' seen that fat party an' heard hiht for his gun He oughtn't have tried to throw a gun on rounds I've seen runnin' molasses that was quicker 'n him Now I didn't knoho he was, visitor or friend or relation of yours, though I seen he was a Moret serious about shootin' So I winged hiun An' he dropped the gun there, an' a little blood I told him he'd introduced himself sufficient, an' to please move out of my vicinity An' he went"

Lassiter spoke with slow, cool, soothing voice, in which there was a hint of levity, and his touch, as he continued to bathe her broas gentle and steady His iitation

"He drew on you first, and you deliberately shot to cripple him--you wouldn't kill him--you--Lassiter?"

"That's about the size of it"

Jane kissed his hand

All that was calm and cool about Lassiter instantly vanished

"Don't do that! I won't stand it! An' I don't care a damn who that fat party was"

He helped Jane to her feet and to a chair Then with the wet scarf he had used to bathe her face he wiped the blood froun, he threw it upon a couch