yond that I want to know
about--oh, I feel so ignorant! There is something now that perhaps you
could tell me, you have travelled so much."

"Let's have it," said he, smiling at her seriousness.

She hesitated, at a loss for words, finally blurting out what was in
her mind.

"My father is a squaw-man, Mr. Stark, and I've been raised to think
that such things are customary."

"They are, in all new countries," he assured her.

"But how are they regarded when civilization comes along?"

"Well, they aren't regarded, as a rule. Squaw-men are pretty shiftless,
and people don't pay much attention to them. I guess if they weren't
they wouldn't be squaw-men."

"My father isn't shiftless," she challenged, at which he remained
silent, refusing to go on record. "Isn't a half-breed just as good as a
white?"

"Look here," said he. "What are you driving at?"

"I'm a 'blood,'" she declared, recklessly, "and I want to know what
people think of me. The men around here have never made me feel
conscious of it, but--"

"You're afraid of these new people who are coming, eh? Well, don't
worry about that, Miss. It wouldn't make any difference to me or to any
of your friends whether you were red, white, black, or yellow."

"But it would make a difference with some people?" insisted the girl.

"Oh, I reckon it would with Eastern people. They look at things kind of
funny, but we're not in the East."

"That's what I wanted to know. Nice people back there wouldn't tolerate
a girl like me for a moment, would they? They wouldn't consider me good
enough to associate with them?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess you'd have a hard time breaking in
among the 'bon-tonners.' But what's the use of thinking about it. This
is your country and these are your people."

A morbid desire was upon her to track down this intangible racial
distinction, but she saw Runnion, whom she could not bear, coming
towards them, so thanked Stark hurriedly and went on her way.

"Been making friends with that squaw, eh?" remarked Runnion, casually.

"Yes," replied Stark. "She's a nice little girl, and I like her. I told
her I didn't have any part in that miners' meeting affair."

"Huh! What's the matter with you? It was all your doing."

"I know it was, but I didn't aim it at her. I wanted that ground next
to Lee's, and I wanted to throw a jolt into Old Man Gale. I couldn't
let the girl stand in my way; but now that it's over, I'm willing to be
friends