impulsively, irresistibly.

He caught her quickly in his arms before all the crowd and kissed
her--once. It was his great salutation to love--a salutation of great
longing--a salutation which meant farewell.

She gasped, flushed rosy red, but walked straight along with him as he
caught the bag from her hands. She looked up at him, astonished, yet not
wholly resentful. It was no place for speech on the part of either. The
dust of the street seemed naught to him or her, and as for this curious
crowd, they did not chill nor offend--Anne Oglesby suddenly wished to
take all the world into her arms and greet it. Anne Oglesby at that
moment loved--the touch of this man's lips on hers had wrought the
irrevocable, immortal, awful change.

They had not yet spoken a word, these two, at the time he left her to
call some vehicle for her use. He turned and looked directly into the
face of Dan Cowles, sheriff, a man whom he had never seen before, but
who now reached out and laid a hand upon his shoulder. Cowles had that
instant reached the station platform.

Don would have passed, but the sheriff spoke:

"I want you. Come with me."

The tempestuous blood of the young man flamed at this, but now, as he
looked into the solemn face before him, he found something to give him
pause.

"What's up?" he demanded. "Who are you?"

"I'm the sheriff of this county," said Cowles. "Come with me."

"What do you want?" again demanded Don. "I'm with this young lady."

"That's no difference," said Cowles.

"It must be about the Tarbush matter," said Dewdonny Lane. "I'll
testify, but I know nothing of that. I'll come on over directly. This
young lady is going to Judge Henderson's."

The sheriff looked at the young girl curiously. The crowd now had surged
about them. Like so many cattle at the smell of blood, a strange low
sound, animal-like, a sort of moan of curiosity, seemed to rise.
Wide-eyed, the girl turned.

"What is it, Don?" she exclaimed. "What has happened? The Tarbush
case--what do you mean?"

"I'm going to take him to the coroner's hearing, miss," said the sheriff
in a low tone of voice.

"Why, you see, Anne," began Don, "the city marshal of this town was
killed last night. I suppose the coroner is looking into it. It's a
terrible thing--the town's all upset--haven't you heard anything of it?"

"Why, no. I left home before any of our papers came out. How did it
happen?"

Don felt the sheriff again touch his arm. "Step in