he could not force himself to an
ordinary greeting under the circumstances. She had doubtless heard the
story, so---- But he was quite wrong. Eve was simply wondering at his
coming. Wondering what it portended. She had truly enough heard the
story of the recovery of the cattle, as who in Barnriff had not? But
her wonder and nervousness were not for him, but for herself. It was
for herself, and had to do with that fear she had told Annie Gay of,
and which now had become a sort of waking nightmare to her.

Jim sprang from the saddle. Linking his arm through the reins, he
stood facing the woman he loved. "Well?" he said, in a curious,
half-defiant manner, while his glance swept over every detail of her
pretty, troubled face. Finally it settled upon the slight scar over
her temple, and a less selfish feeling took possession of him. The
change in her expression suddenly told him its own story. Her eyes
were the eyes of suffering, not of any condemnation of himself.

"I--I've just been over to see if Peter was in," she said hesitatingly.

"Peter? Oh, yes--and, wasn't he?"

Jim was suddenly seized with a feeling of awkwardness such as he had
never before felt when talking to Eve.

The girl shook her head and began to move in the direction of her
house. He fell in beside her, and, for a moment, neither spoke.
Finally she went on.

"No," she said regretfully. "And I sure wanted to see him so badly.
You see," she added hastily, "Elia is away. He's been away for days,
and, well, I want to know where he is. I get so anxious when he's
away. You see, he's so----"

"And does Peter know where he is?"

"Yes. At least I'm hoping so. Elia goes with him a deal now, on his
expeditions. Peter's real good to him. I think he's trying to help him
in--in--you know Elia is so--so delicate."

The girl's evident reluctance to put into words her well-loved
brother's weaknesses roused all Jim's sympathy.

"Yes, yes. And is he supposed to be with Peter now?"

"He went away with him four days ago."

"I see."

Then there was another awkward pause. Again Eve was the one to break
it. They were nearing the gate of her little garden.

"But what has brought you into town, Jim?" she suddenly asked, as
though his presence had only just occurred to her as being unusual.

With a rush the memory of all his disgrace came upon him again. He
laughed bitterly, harshly.

"Another of Dame Fortune's kicks," he said.

"Another?"

"Yes--ah, I forg