Ralston's voice or McArthur's--the latter having gone for his
mail.

The strain of watching the woman's suffering told on both of the girls,
and the night by her bedside seemed centuries long. Toward morning the
paroxysms appeared to reach a climax and then to subside. They were of
shorter duration, and the intervals between were longer.

"She's better, I'm sure," Dora said hopefully, but Susie shook her head.

"I don't think so; she's worse. There's that look behind, back of her
eyes--that dead look--can't you see it? And it's in her face, too. I don't
know how to say what I mean, but it's there, and it makes me shiver like
cold." The girl looked in mingled awe and horror at the first human being
she ever had seen die.

Unable to endure the strain any longer, Dora went into the fresh air, and
Susie dropped on her knees by the bedside and took her mother's limp hand
in both of hers.

"Oh, Mother," she begged pitifully, "say something. Don't go away without
sayin' something to Susie!"

With an effort of will, the woman slowly opened her dull eyes and fixed
them upon the child's face.

"Yas," she breathed; "I _want_ to say something."

The words came slowly and thickly.

"I no--get well."

"Oh, Mother!"

Unheeding the wail, perhaps not hearing it, she went on, stopping often
between words:

"I steal--from you--my little girl. I bad woman, Susie. It is right I die.
I take de money--out of de bank dat MacDonald leave us--to give to Smith.
De hold-ups steal de money on--de road. I have de bad heart--Susie--to do
dat. I know now."

"You mustn't talk like that, Mother!" cried Susie, gripping her hand
convulsively. "You thought you'd get it again and put it back. You didn't
mean to steal from me. I know all about it. And I've got the money. Mr.
Ralston found a check you had thrown away--you'd signed your name on it in
the wrong place. When we saw the date, and what a lot of money it was, and
found you had gone to town, we guessed the rest. It was easy to see Smith
in that. So we held you up, and got it back. We knew there was no danger
to anybody, but, of course, we felt bad to worry and frighten you."

"I'm glad," said the woman simply. She had no strength or breath or time
to spare. "Dey's more. I tell you--I kill Smith--if he lie. He lie. He
bull-dog white man. I make de strong medicine to kill him--and I get de
poison in my arm when de bandage slip. Get de bottles and de knife behind
de lookin'-glass--I s