so
she's lonesome without you, why, you've got her foul. Haven't changed
your mind about not wantin' her here, have you?"

"No, and I don't expect to change it. I don't know how long I'll be
here." He strode up and down the room. "But I'll stick it out," he
added, talking to himself. "It's got to be done, no matter what comes."

"Yes, stick it out," said the hired man. "You've got too good a hold to
turn loose now. The fellers around have begun to praise you. They say
you are goin' to make a go of it."

"A go of what?"

"I don't know, but that's what they said."

"Bob, do you remember my telling you not long ago that I once jumped on
a horse and galloped away from a girl."

"Yes, and I thought of how different your case was from mine. Girl
galloped away from me. But what about it?"

"That woman is over at Mrs. Stuvic's now."

"You don't mean the same woman?"

"Yes, I do; the very same woman--a Norwegian."

"Did she say she was the same?"

"She hasn't said anything about it and neither have I. But I know she's
the same. She wasn't quite grown when I saw her in a little town out
West. She was at a hotel--I think her uncle ran the place. I don't
believe she ever noticed me. But I noticed her, and I made up my mind
that I wasn't going to be tangled up with her, so I rode away, whistling
over the prairie. Yes, sir, the same woman. I never could forget that
face, not so beautiful, but a face that takes hold and never turns
loose."

"Well, that is strange," said the hired man, looking at an ace of clubs
and slowly placing it on the table. "Believe I'm going to fluke on this
thing. Smart woman, Bill?"

"I don't know; I can't tell."

"But you've heard her talk, haven't you?"

"Yes," said Milford, standing at the window, looking out at the mist,
now trailing low over the fields. "I've heard her talk, but when a man
has galloped away from a woman he's not much of a judge of her mind."

"This ten specker wants to go right here. Now let me see. I guess you're
right, Bill. But what are you goin' to do about it?"

"I don't know."

"Well, that's perfectly natural. Six goes here. You better not let the
old woman find it out. She'll devil you to death."

"She already knows there's something up. It didn't take but a moment for
me to satisfy myself that this was the same girl; and I struck out
again, intending to go away; but I stopped at the gate and went back."

"But what makes you run away from 'em? I run after