The Law-Breakers

beheld her, and his dark eyes gladdened with a smile of delight. His greeting c

cal voice. "I saw you and Helen making t

ffort of his climb. Kate watched him, much as an anxious mother might watch, with doubtful eye

hiskerless skin was almost womanish in its texture, and betrayed almost every emotion stirring behind it. "Allan Dy came along with my mail. When

g on with less tenderness than amusement. He had not come to tell her the news-only Kate. The Kate wh

his features was certainly beautiful. They were too delicate. Ah, that was it. They were womanish. Yes, he was womanish, and nothing womanish in a man could ever appeal to the essentially feminine heart of Helen. His figure was slight, but perfectly proportioned, and quite lacking in any suggestion of mannish strength. Again the thought of it brought Helen a feeling of repu

t that somehow there was an ugly streak in him which her sister had utterly missed, and she only half g

ed him, and she knew she disliked him. She knew she despised him, and she knew she feared him. And through it all she looked

ained silent, waiting for him to continue. "Good, I'll

were an effort to withdraw his gaze

ere to-to join me. He-he wants to ranch, so-he's coming here, and going to put all his money into my ranch, and suggests we run it together." Then he laughed shortly. "He says I've got experience and he's got dollars, and between us we ought to make things hum. He's a hustler, is Bill. Say, he's as much sense

he had no answer for him. It was Helen who did the ta

you? He's big-and-and manly? Is he good looking? But then he must be if

head, laughing in

." Then his dark eyes became serious, and a hopeless shadow crept into them. "I

ly. "Do you know what your words imply? Oh, it's too dreadful, and-and I won't have it. You

and, for a moment, they looked into it as thoug

?" he questio

s-as Fate," Kate

ll-all weakness c

he desire to conqu

, y

was a look in them which suggested to Helen that he wa

went on, "I suppose the habits-diseases

e's demand came

ders. "Nothing," he said. "I-I

l," cried Kate,

ments his patience remained. Then, as Kate still waited for hi

makes me attempt to deny myself is that I want your good opinion. Did I not want that I should slide down the road to hell, which I am told I am on, with all the delight of a child on a toboggan slide. Yes, I would. I surely would, Kate. I'm a drunkard, I know. A drunkard by nature. I have not the smallest desire to be otherwise, from any moral scruple. It's you that makes me want to straighten up, and you only. When I'm sober I'd be glad if I weren't. And when I'm

, that he spoke the truth. She knew that the only reason he made any effort at all was because his devo

d no love-love such as he required-to give him in return. And when that finally became pat

e secret of his fall. In Paris, and Rome, and other European cities, he had first tasted the dregs of youthful debauchery, and disaster had promptly set in. Then, after his student days, had come the final break

e her sister's distress. She came to her rescue with an effo

who had just taken a l

e daring in her manner: "Do you think he'll like me? Because if he don't I'll sure go into mourning,

had passed, and he smiled into the girl'

yes on to you in that swell suit, why, he'll just hustle you right off to the parson, and

ind?" the girl deman

" the man asse

-and-and well, a whirlwind don't suggest the cold, vicious, stormy gales of the folks in this village, nor t

blue. And big. The other's a sort of term of endearment. You

yes. He's good looking. He's-he's like a whirlwind. He's got lots of money." She counted the attractions

flushed face i

ke, Helen!" she

s opened to thei

ould you like me for-a-a sister? I'm not a bad sort, am I, Kate?" she appealed mischievously. "I can sew, and cook, and-and darn. No, I don't mean curse words. I leave that to Kate's hired men.

ning the open pa

sedly. "He says he'll be right along here

ster's side, and sh

time I have to get my fall suits he'll have to marry me." Then the dancing light in her eyes sobered. "Now, where shall we live?" she went on, with a pretense of deep consideration. "Shall we go east, or-or shall we live at Charlie

ponsible sister was simply letting her bubbling spirits overflow. Cha

aid readily. "You see, he's accu

lled a l

run a ranch, and make quite big with it, yet you never eat off a china plate, or spread your table with anything better than a newspaper. True, Charlie, y

pair of darkly frowni

she declared severely. "What has the care

opened wide w

guns and things. He'll have visions of big shoots, and any old sport, of a well-appointed ranch house, with proper fixings, and baths, and swell dinners and servants. But they're all visions. He'll blow in to Rocky Springs-he's a whirlwind, mind-and he'll find a prosperous rancher living in a tumbled-down shanty that hasn't been swept this side of five years, a blanket-covered bunk, a

ancing eyes. But the more sober-minded Kate slipped h

t on down to the Meeting House. I-have work to

len was all in

there, I'm always misjudged-always. She'll accuse me of trying to trap your brother-next. Anyway, I've got w

n was always privileged. Her sister adored her, and the whole village of Rocky Springs yielded her a measure of popularity which made her its greatest favorite. Even the wo

illage Charlie again

to set a station here. A corporal and two men. Fyles is coming, too. Inspector Fyles." His eyes were studying Kate's face as he made the announcement. Helen, too, was lo

oke. Kate was thinking deeply. Nor, from her expression, would

appen with Fyles stationed here in Rocky Springs. Would her beautiful sister finally yield to his very evident admiration, or would she still kee

t would happen to him should time, and a man's persistence, finally succeed in breaking down the barrier Kate had set up agai

t for long, however. Something of

sooner or later," sh

t the village with gloomy eyes. She read into his expression a great dread of this officer's coming to Rocky

be sorry to see put away. They're scallywags, anyway. They aren't clean, and they chew tobacco, and-and curse like railroaders. But they aren't all like-that-are they, Kate?" She paused. Then, in a desperate appeal, "Kate, I'd fire your two boys, Nick and

to her less responsible manner, and laughed as though some

r all cut short, and his vulture neck sticking out of the top end of his clothes, like-like a thread of sewing cotton in a darning needle? Wouldn't he look queer? And the work, too! Say, it would just break his heart. My, but they get most killed

us Helen. She was talking at him. But she was thinking not of him so much as her sister. She knew how much it would

rence to her hired men. She knew at whom her sis

aw. I guess there won't be much whisky run into Rocky Springs with Fyles around, and the police can do nothing unless they catch the boys a

lation of the village. He turned his eyes on the woman at his side-and en

l to fire your boys." He spoke deliberately, but with a sha

. I'll stand by my friends, too. Maybe they'll need all the help I can give them. Then it's up to me to give it them. Fyles must do his duty as he sees it. Our duty is by our friends here, in Rocky Springs. Whatever happens in the crusade against th

eath. Nor was it easy

hom she had so willingly followed to the western wilds. This was the spirit she had deplored the waning of. All her apprehensi

interest. She felt that though, perhaps, he might never have met his match during the long years of his duties as