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But Joan fearfully retained her clasp on his aret away she was hard put to it to hold hi?"

He stood there a ht shadow, like

an outline of a man cut from black stone

"I'll just step around--there"

"Oh, what for?" whispered Joan

"I' to kill Kells"

Joan got both arainst hi to think how to -

dreaded moment After all, as the use to try? This was the

hour of Gold! Sacrifice, hope, courage, nobility, fidelity--these

had no place here now Men were the embodiment of passion--ferocity

They breathed only possession, and the thing in the balance was

death Woht for, but wo Joan knew all this with a desperate hardening

certainty, and alht of Gulden

flashed up to an the old pleading with Jim, but different this tiged hiuided by her, to fight

the wildness that had obsessed him, to make sure that she would not

be left alone All in vain! He swore he would kill Kells and any

other bandit who stood in the way of his leading her free out of

that cabin He ild to fight He ht never have felt fear of