t burned within me, but O, the
girl was kind, gentler than forgiveness, sweeter than all heaven.
Caressingly she touched my hair. I kissed her fingers, kissed them again
and again; and then she lifted my hand to her lips, and I felt her kiss
fall upon it. How wondrously I tingled at the touch. My hand seemed mine
no longer--a consecrated thing. Proud, happy me!

"Yes," she went on, "doesn't it seem as if we were dreaming? You know, I
always thought it was a dream, and now it's coming true. You'll take me
away from this place, won't you, boy?--far, far away. I'll tell you
now, dear, I've borne it all for your sake, but I don't think I could
bear it any longer. I would rather die than sink in the mire, and yet
you can't imagine how this life affects one. It's sad, sad, but I don't
get shocked at things in the way I used to. You know, I sometimes think
a girl, no matter how good, sweet, modest to begin with, placed in such
surroundings could fall gradually."

I agreed with her. Too well I knew I was becoming calloused to the evils
around me. Such was the insidious corruption of the gold-camp, I now
regarded with indifference things that a year ago I would have shrunk
from with disgust.

"Well, it will be all over very soon, won't it, dear? I don't know what
I'd have done if it hadn't been for the rough miners. They've been so
kind to me. When they saw I was straight and honest they couldn't be
good enough. They shielded me in every way, and kept back the other kind
of men. Even the women have been my friends and helped me."

She looked at me archly.

"And, you know, I've had ever so many offers of marriage, too, from
honest, rough, kindly men--and I've refused them ever so gracefully."

"Has Locasto ever made any more overtures?"

Her face grew grave.

"Yes, about a month ago he besieged me, gave me no rest, made all kinds
of proposals and promises. He wanted to divorce his 'outside' wife and
marry me. He wanted to settle a hundred thousand dollars on me. He tried
everything in his power to force me to his will. Then, when he saw it
was no use, he turned round and begged me to let him be my friend. He
spoke so nicely of you. He said he would help us in any way he could.
He's everything that's kind to me now. He can't do enough for me. Yet,
somehow, I don't trust him."

"Well, my precious," I assured her, "all danger, doubt, despair, will
soon be over. Locasto and the rest of them will be as shadows, never to
hau