o the great stove radiating
its pleasant warmth. Steve took up his position opposite her.

The squaw began at once. She had nothing to conceal from this man who
represented the law of the white men. Besides, was she not thinking of
the boy who had stolen so closely into her mother heart?

"An-ina not say to Missis all," she said, in her simple way. "Oh, no.
Missis much afraid. Much suffer. Him sick--much sick. No man--then all
gone. She 'fraid. She all break up her heart. Marcel not come. Why? Why?
An-ina know. She hear from Indian man. All Indian man know. Marcel him
all killed dead. Indian man not kill him. Oh, no. Cy Allshore him kill
him. Marcel him kill Cy too. Both kill each one. Oh, yes. Cy devil man.
Cy think him kill up Marcel. Then him have Missis--have all things. Oh,
yes. Indian man know. Indian man find both, all killed dead. Indian man
tell An-ina. An-ina say no tell Missis. Maybe she all kill dead--too.
Yes? An-ina love Missis. Love her much. She no hurt Missis. So she not
say. Oh, no."

The searching eyes of Steve never left the woman's dusky face for a
moment. They were boring their way to pierce the unemotional exterior
for the truth that lay behind.

"Say, just stop right there," he commanded. "I need to get this right.
You reckon this feller Cy--Cy Allshore was out for plunder--murder. You
guess he kind of loved your Missis, and she didn't know. He reckoned to
kill Marcel, and steal all this, and--his wife. That so?"

"Sure. That so."

"How d'you know?"

"An-ina see. An-ina have two eyes. She see all thing. Oh, yes."

"Tell me."

"How An-ina tell? She not know. She woman. She see. That all. Cy him
hard. Him have bad eye for woman. Him think money all time. Him say,
'An-ina you good squaw.' Him say, 'Cy have no squaw. Cy like squaw.'
An-ina say, no! She know. Then him hate An-ina. Him hate An-ina plenty,
big. An-ina say nothing. She not 'fraid. Cy know she maybe kill him.
Then him talk much with Missis. An-ina watch. Yes. Missis not know. Him
good woman. An-ina know. Cy bad. An-ina think her mak big talk with
Marcel. Her say much. No. Her not mak big talk. Marcel him kill Cy. Then
all thing here--no good. Oh, yes. So An-ina say nothing. So him Cy an'
Marcel go long trail. Marcel him not think nothin'. Him dream--dream.
All time dream. Cy think bad all time.

"So." An-ina shrugged expressively. "Much long time. No Cy. No Marcel.
Then Indian man mak big talk. Him say Indian man come by the b