s no new sight. Frequently Hiram had seen his adventure girl in
such places, laughing and chatting with old friends of the grade.
Always, it seemed, they respected her and took her actions for granted.

"Hello, Gentle Wild Cat!" Jo called, catching sight of him. Then she
noticed that he was with the girl, and a quick look of puzzlement came
in her dark eyes.

Hiram made haste to call her.

"I want to introduce you," he said quickly.

Jo turned, still holding to the arms of the stiffs, and Hiram made the
introduction. Jo responded pleasantly, and the look that came in her
eyes told Hiram that she remembered the name and knew who Lucy was.

"Sorry I can't join you, Hiram," said Jo. "These plugs have got me
dead to rights, and I've promised to set 'em up to the house."

She released the arms of the stiffs, and, cupping her hands about her
mouth, shouted above the general din:

"Drinks for the house on Jerkline Jo! Le's go!"

Some one nudged Hiram on the other side, and he turned to find Orr
Tweet.

"Did you ever see the likes o' that Jerkline Jo?" he said admiringly.
"What a woman, Hiram! She can get away with anything, and there ain't
a stiff on the grade that would think any the worse of her for it.
She's pure-hearted and clean-minded, and everybody knows it and treats
her like the lady she is. But say---- For Heaven's sake! Look who's
here!"

His steel-blue eyes had taken in Lucy, who stood studying Jerkline Jo,
the center of a crowd of rough, appreciative men who wrung her hands
right and left.

Lucy turned and flashed Tweet a bright smile. "I remember you, o'
course," she said, shaking hands. "They tell me you hit the ball an
awful bang down here in Ragtown. I always knew you were there when you
talked to me up in Frisco."

For several minutes, while bartenders worked frantically to supply Jo's
big order, Tweet and Lucy talked, and Hiram watched Jo. Then Tweet
excused himself and hurried away after some man--a prospective citizen
of Ragtown, no doubt--and Lucy turned to Hiram.

"So that's Jerkline Jo, is it?" she said half scornfully. "What is
she, Hiram?"

"A lady," said Hiram with a dangerous note of warning in his tones.

Lucy sensed it and shrugged. "Maybe she is," she said lightly. "I
don't know anything about her beyond what I've heard, of course--except
that she's a heart-breaker--a man-killer. But what's she doing here?"
she could not help tacking on.

"I might come back a