hed her going in the moonlight. Even her shadow was beautiful,
he thought, but all his joy was grave.

She disappeared within the house, without once turning to see what he
had done. He could not know that from one of the darkened windows she
presently peered forth and watched him depart from the hill. He was
not so assured as he had tried to make her think, and soberness dwelt
within his breast.

Half an hour later he and old Dave were riding up the mountain in the
moonlight. The night from the eminence was glorious, now that the town
was left behind. Goldite lay far below in the old dead theatre of past
activities, dotting the barren immensity with its softened lights like
the little thing it was. How remote it seemed already, with its vices,
woes, and joys, its comedy and tragedy, its fevers, strifes, and toil,
disturbing nothing of the vast serenity of the planet, ever rolling on
its way. How coldly the moon seemed looking on the scene. And yet it
had cast a shadow of a girl to set a man aflame.

Meantime Bostwick had been delayed in securing McCoppet's attention.
The town was still excited over all that had happened; the saloons were
full of men. Culver had been an important person, needful to many of
the miners and promoters of mining. His loss was an aggravation,
especially as his deputy, Lawrence, was away.

The more completely to allay suspicions that might by any possibility
creep around the circle to himself, McCoppet had been the camp's most
active figure in organizing a posse, with the sheriff, to go out and
capture Cayuse. His reasons for desiring the half-breed's end were
naturally strong, nevertheless his active partisanship of law and
justice excited no undesirable talk. He was simply an influential
citizen engaged in a laudable work.

It was late when at length he and Bostwick could snatch a few minutes
to themselves. The gambler's first question then was something of a
puzzle to Bostwick.

"Well, have you got that thirty thousand?"

"Got it? Yes, I've got it," Bostwick answered nervously, "but what is
the good of it now?"

It was McCoppet's turn to be puzzled.

"Anything gone wrong with Van Buren, or his claim?"

"Good heavens! Isn't it sufficient to have things all gone wrong with
Culver? What could be worse than that?"

The gambler flung his cigar away and hung a fresh one on his lip.

"Say, don't you worry on Culver. Don't his deputy take his place?"

"His deputy?"