you've hit the nail on the head. Exactly! A man's country. Do
you know what it does to the women?"

"Tell me."

"Makes 'em like the men. Hardens their hands after a while. Roughens
their voices. Takes time, but that's what comes after a while.
Understand?"

"Oh, don't I understand!"

And he knew how the fear had haunted her, then, for the first time.

"What does this dry, hot wind do to you in the mountains? What does it
do to your skin? Takes the velvet off, after a while; makes it dry and
hard. Lord, girl, I'd hate to see the change it's going to make in
you!"

All at once she sat up, wide awake.

"What are you trying to do to me, Ben Connor?"

"I'm trying to wake you up."

"I _am_ awake. But what can I do?"

"You think you're awake, but you're not. Tell you what a girl needs, a
stage--just like an actor. Think they can put on a play with these
mountains for a setting? Never in the world. Make the actors look too
small. Make everything they say sound too thin.

"Same way with a girl. She needs a setting. A room, a rug, a picture, a
comfortable chair, and a dress that goes with it. Shuts out the rest of
the world and gives her a chance to make a man focus on her--see her
behind the footlights. See?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Do you know what I've been doing while I watched you just now?"

"Tell me."

He was fighting for a great purpose now, and a quality of earnest
emotion crept into his voice. "Around your throat I've been running an
edging of yellow old lace. Under your hand that was lying there I put a
deep blue velvet; I had your shoulders as white as snow, with a flash to
'em like snow when you turned in the light; I had you proud as a queen,
Ruth, with a blur of violets at your breast. I took out the tired look
in your face. Instead, I put in happiness."

He stopped and drew a long breath.

"You're pretty now, but you could be--beautiful. Lord, what a flame of a
beauty you could be, girl!"

Instead of flushing and smiling under the praise, he saw tears well into
her eyes and her mouth grow tremulous. She winked the tears away.

"What are you trying to do, Ben? Make everything still harder for me?
Don't you see I'm helpless--helpless?"

And instead of rising to a wail her voice sank away at the end in
despair.

"Oh, you're trapped well enough," he said. "I'm going to bust the trap!
I'm going to give you your setting. I'm going to make you what you ought
to be--beautiful!"

She smiled