n_, he ain' git lettaire. He don' talk 'bout dat 'oman. He lov' her
too mooch----"

"_What!_" Endicott grasped the half-breed's arm and shook him roughly.

"_Oui_, he lov' dat 'oman so bad he ain' talk 'bout dat."

"You mean, you think they've planned it all out to run away together?"

Bat regarded the other gravely: "W'at you t'ink?" he asked, abruptly.

Endicott found it strangely hard to answer the direct question: "I--I
don't know what to think."

"W'at you t'ink?" insisted the half-breed.

"What can I think?" cried the man in desperation. "She planned to be
here today--and she met him here--and they are gone! What do you think?"

The half-breed answered slowly and very directly: "Me, A'm t'ink, you
pret' mooch, w'at you call, de Godam fool. You lov' dat 'oman. You be'n
marry wan year--an' you ain' know dat 'oman. You de gran' pilgrim. Me,
A'm know dat 'oman. Ol' Bat, she tell Tex way back on Antelope Butte,
dat tam, dat ain' hees 'oman--dat de pilgrim 'oman. Dat 'oman, he lov'
you--Ol' Bat, know dat. Tex, she ain' belief dat," he paused and
shrugged, expressively. "W'at de hell! She mar' de pilgrim, lak A'm say.
An' Tex she feel ver' bad. She ain' drink no booze for wan' year--becos'
she t'ink, w'en she feel lak dat, de booze she git heem--an' she would.
A'm know 'bout dat, too. A'm know Tex. A'm know he gon' git drunk today,
sure as hell. So A'm com' long tonight an' git heem hom'. He lov' dat
oman too mooch. Dat hurt heem lak hell een here." The old half-breed
paused to tap his breast, and proceeded. "He ain' wan' see dat 'oman no
more. She com' 'long, w'at you call, de haccident. Me, A'm ain' know how
dat com' dey gon'--but no mattaire. Dat all right. Dat good 'oman an'
Tex, he good man, too. He ain' harm dat 'oman--he got de good heart. A'm
ain' say dat Tex she ain' got not'in' to do wit' 'omans. But she know de
good 'oman--an' she lov' dat good 'oman--an' dat 'oman she safe wit'
Tex lak she wit' de own modder. You come 'long now wit' Ol' Bat, an' git
de hoss, we gon' fin'. Mebbe-so tomor', mebbe-so nex' week--dat mak' no
differ'. You fin' out dat all right." Old Bat ceased abruptly and
started off and as Endicott followed him blindly through the dark, his
eyes burned hot, and scalding tears coursed down his cheeks and dropped
unheeded to the ground.

CHAPTER XIII

A MAN ALL BAD

Jack Purdy had turned horse-thief. And because chance had thrown him in
with one of the strongest gangs of horse-