resentfully. "Well, if he thinks _I_ care--!"

She went slipping and stumbling down the steep wall of the gulch,
crossed it and climbed the other side and came upon Kate, sitting in
the snow and holding her right ankle in both hands and moaning
pitiably.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

PENITENCE, REAL AND UNREAL

Kate rocked back and forth, and tears of pain rolled down her cheeks.
She leaned her shoulder against a tree and moaned, with her eyes shut.
It frightened Marion to look at her. She went up and put her hand on
Kate's shoulder with more real tenderness than she had felt for
months.

"What's the matter, Kate? Did you hurt yourself? Is it your ankle?"
she asked insipidly.

"O-oh! Marion, you keep me nearly distracted! You must know I only
want to guard you against--oh--gossip and trouble. You seem to look
upon me as an enemy, lately--Oh!--And I only want to consider your
best interests. Who is that man, Marion? I believe he is a criminal,
and I'm going to send word to the sheriff. If he isn't, he is welcome
at the cabin--you know it, Marion. You--you hurt me so, when you meet
him out here in this sly way--just as if you couldn't trust me. And I
have always been your friend." She stopped and began moaning again.

"Now, don't cry, dear! You're simply upset and nervous. Let me help
you up, Kate. Is it your ankle?"

"Oh, it pains dreadfully--but the shock of seeing you meet that
strange man out here and knowing that you will not trust me--"

"Why, forevermore! I do _trust you_, Kate. But you have been so
different--you don't trust _me_, is the trouble. I'm not doing
anything awful, only you won't see anything but the wrong side of
everything I do. I'd tell you about the man, only--" Marion glanced
guiltily across at the place where Jack had disappeared, "--it's his
secret, and I can't."

Kate wept in that subdued, heartbroken way which is so demoralizing to
the person who has caused the tears. Like a hurt child she rubbed her
ankle and huddled there in the snow.

"We never used to have secrets," she mourned dismally. "This place has
changed you so--oh, I am simply too miserable to care for anything any
more. Go on, Marion--I'll get home somehow. I shouldn't have followed,
but I was so hurt at your coldness and your lack of confidence! And I
was sure you were deceiving me. I simply could not endure the suspense
another day. You--you don't know what I have suffered! Go on--you'll
get cold standing here. I'll