to inquire what kind of spy they imagined I
could be, what sort of rescue I could bring in this lonely country; my
too early appearance seemed to be all that they looked at. And again
my eyes sought the prisoners. Certainly there were only two. One was
chewing tobacco, and talking now and then to his guard as if nothing
were the matter. The other sat dull in silence, not moving his eyes;
but his face worked, and I noticed how he continually moistened his dry
lips. As I looked at these doomed prisoners, whose fate I was invited to
sleep through to-morrow morning, the one who was chewing quietly nodded
to me.

"You don't remember me?" he said.

It was Steve! Steve of Medicine Bow! The pleasant Steve of my first
evening in the West. Some change of beard had delayed my instant
recognition of his face. Here he sat sentenced to die. A shock, chill
and painful, deprived me of speech.

He had no such weak feelings. "Have yu' been to Medicine Bow lately?" he
inquired. "That's getting to be quite a while ago."

I assented. I should have liked to say something natural and kind,
but words stuck against my will, and I stood awkward and ill at ease,
noticing idly that the silent one wore a gray flannel shirt like mine.
Steve looked me over, and saw in my pocket the newspaper which I had
brought from the railroad and on which I had pencilled a few expenses.
He asked me, Would I mind letting him have it for a while? And I gave
it to him eagerly, begging him to keep it as long as he wanted. I was
overeager in my embarrassment. "You need not return it at all," I said;
"those notes are nothing. Do keep it."

He gave me a short glance and a smile. "Thank you," he said; "I'll not
need it beyond to-morrow morning." And he began to search through it.
"Jake's election is considered sure," he said to his companion, who
made no response. "Well, Fremont County owes it to Jake." And I left him
interested in the local news.

Dead men I have seen not a few times, even some lying pale and terrible
after violent ends, and the edge of this wears off; but I hope I shall
never again have to be in the company with men waiting to be killed.
By this time to-morrow the gray flannel shirt would be buttoned round
a corpse. Until what moment would Steve chew? Against such fancies as
these I managed presently to barricade my mind, but I made a plea to be
allowed to pass the night elsewhere, and I suggested the adjacent cabin.
By their faces I saw that my