on back to the dam. I suppose those two women
can take care of themselves somehow now."

"I wish't you wouldn't go away," said Sim uneasily. "One woman is bad
enough--but now there's two of them."

"Two won't be as much trouble as one," said Doctor Barnes.

As he turned he saw standing in the door a figure which to him suddenly
seemed pathetic. It was Mary Gage. She was looking out now vaguely.
He did not even go over to say good-by.

In the meantime Annie Squires, not backward in her relations with
mankind, again engaged Wid Gardner in conversation as they stood at the
edge of the yard, and Wid's downcast head bespoke his lack of happiness
at what he heard.

"I never in all my born days saw a joint like this," said Annie, her
dark eyes snapping. "It ain't fit for cowboys--it ain't fit for
nobody. Her _married_ to him! And how on earth are we going to keep
it from her? If she ever knew--my God! it would break her
heart--she'd kill herself now if she knew the truth. Man, you don't
know that girl--you just think she's a common, ordinary woman, don't
you? You can't understand a woman like that, you people. She just
thought it was her duty to get married. Her _duty_--do you get
me?--her _duty_! It's a crime when a woman like that gets that sort of
bugs in their nut. Well, what could I do? I figured if she could
marry and get a good home it would be the best thing for her. Do you
know what us two girls done?--we flipped a copper to see which one of
us should have the chance. Wasn't that a fine thing to do? Well, she
won--and look at that!"

She again pointed to Sim Gage, who stood hands in pocket, looking after
Doctor Barnes' departing car. "Look at him! Is he human or ain't he?
He ain't got but one gallus, and I bet he ain't been shaved for a week.
His clothes may fall off him any minute. He's past forty-eight if he's
a day. Say, man, leave me take the ax and go kill that thing right
away! I got to do it sometime. Do you get me?"

"Yes," said Wid Gardner, somewhat agitated, "yes, there's a heap of
truth in what you say. There ain't no use in me denying not a single
thing. All I got to say is we didn't never mean to do what this here
has turned out to be. But now you've come out here, too, and in some
ways it makes it harder to keep things quiet. You don't look to me
like you was easy to be right quiet. What are you going to do about it
your own self?"

"I've told you what I'm going t