master!"

And she answered scornfully: "You couldn't do it."

There was a sound of wheels outside. They sprang up. Sam swore under
his breath. Bela looked out of the door.

"It's Joe," she said.

Sam hardened.

"You've got to go," she said swiftly and peremptorily. "You've
finished eating. I won't have no trouble here."

Sam scowled. "Well--I'll go after he comes in," he returned doggedly.
"I won't run away at the sight of him."

Joe entered with a sullen air. He had already seen Sam's team outside.

"Morning," said Sam. His was the temper that is scrupulously polite to
an enemy.

Joe muttered in his throat.

"Well, I'm just off," observed Sam. "How's the mud?"

Joe sneered. "No worse than usual," he replied.

It was hard for Sam to go after the sneer. He hesitated. But he had
promised. He looked at Bela, but she would not meet his eye. Finally
he shrugged and went out. They heard him talking to his horses
outside. Joe, scowling and avoiding Bela's eye, dropped into the seat
the other man had vacated.

"Breakfast," he muttered.

Bela knew very well that it was his custom to eat before he started
out in the morning. She said nothing, but glanced at the clock on the
dresser.

"Ah, you'll feed him any time he wants!" snarled Joe.

"I treat everybody the same," she answered coolly. "You can have
breakfast if you want."

"Well, I do," he muttered.

She went into the kitchen and started her preparations. Returning, she
cleared away the dirty dishes, not, however, before Joe had marked the
second cup on the table.

When she put his food before him he said: "Get yourself a cup of
coffee and sit down with me." He was really trying to be agreeable,
not, however, with much success.

"I got work to do," Bela mildly objected.

He instantly flared up again. "Ah! I thought you treated everybody the
same!"

Bela shrugged, and, bringing coffee, sat down opposite him.

There was a silence. Joe, merely playing with the food on his plate,
watched her with sullen, pained eyes, trying to solve the riddle of
her. One could almost see the simple mental operations. Sam got along
with her by jollying her. Very well, he would do the same.

"I ain't such a bad sort when I'm took right," he began, with a
ghastly attempt to be facetious.

"No?"

"I like my joke as well as another."

"Yes?"

"You're a deep one!" he said with a leer, "but you can't fool me."

"Eat your breakfast," said Bela.

"This mysteriou