ce, and staring toward him, her face white, her breath coming in
sobs. At first he thought the vision a dream, a delirium born from his
long struggle; he could not conceive the possibility of such a presence
in this lonely place, and staggering to his feet, gazed wildly, dumbly
at the slender, gray clad figure, the almost girlish face under the
shadowing dark hair, expecting the marvellous vision to vanish. Surely
this could not be real! A woman, and such a woman as this here, and
alone, of all places! He staggered from weakness, almost terror, and
grasped the table to hold himself erect. The rising wind came swirling
in through the open door, causing the fire to send forth spirals of
smoke, and he turned, dragging the dazed negro within, and snapping the
latch behind him. When he glanced around again he fully believed the
vision confronting him would have vanished. But no! there she yet
remained, those wide-open, frightened brown eyes, with long lashes half
hiding their depths, looking directly into his own; only now she had
slightly changed her posture, leaning toward him across the table. Like
a flash he comprehended that this was reality--flesh and blood--and,
with the swift instinct of a gentleman, his numbed, nerveless fingers
jerked off his hat, and he bowed bareheaded before her.

"Pardon me," he said, finding his voice with difficulty. "I fell over
the step, but--but I didn't expect to find a woman here."

He heard her quick breathing, marked a slight change in the expression
of the dark eyes, and caught the glitter of the firelight on a revolver
in her lowered hand.

"What did you expect to find?"

"I hardly knew," he explained lamely; "we stumbled on this hut by
accident. I didn't know there was a cabin in all this valley."

"Then you are not here for any purpose? to meet with any one?"

"No; we were lost, and had gone into camp up above, when we discovered
your light."

"Where do you come from?"

Keith hesitated just an instant, yet falsehood was never easy for him,
and he saw no occasion for any deceit now.

"Carson City."

"What brought you here?"

"We started for the 'Bar X' Ranch down below, on the Canadian; got
caught in a sand-storm, and then just drifted. I do not know within
twenty miles of where we are."

She drew a deep breath of unconcealed relief.

"Are you alone?"

"The negro and I--yes; and you haven't the slightest reason to be afraid
of us--we're square."

She looked at hi