“Don’tyousee，Billy，thereissolittleworkatthisstationthatI’dbelookingoutofthewindowalldayjustthepitifulwayyoudo？“
“Oh!“Billypondered。“AndsoIsaidtoLin，“hecontinued，“whydidn’thesenddownhisownclothes，too，an’letyoufix’emall。AndHoneyWigginlaughedrightinhiscoffee-cupsoitallsploshedout。AndthecookheaskedmeifmotherusedtomendLin’sclothes。ButIguessshechucked’emlikeshealwaysdidfather’sandmine。Iwaswithfather，youknow，whenmotherwasmarriedtoLinthattime。“Hepausedagain，whilehisthoughtsandfearsstruggled。“ButLinsaysIneedn’tevergoback，“
hewenton，reasoningandconfidingtoher。“Lindon’tlikemotheranymore，Iguess。“Hisponderinggrewstilldeeper，andhelookedatJessamineforsomewhile。Thenhisfacewakenedwithanewtheory。“Don’tLinlikeyouanymore？“heinquired。
“Oh，“criedJessamine，crimsoning，“yes!Why，hesentyoutome!“
“Well，hegothotincampwhenIsaidthataboutsendinghisclothestoyou。Hequitsupperprettysoon，andwentawayoffawalking。Andthat’sanothertimetheysaidIwastooyoung。ButLindon’tcometoseeyouanymore。“
“Why，Ihopehelovesme，“murmuredJessamine。“Always。“
“Well，Ihopesotoo，“saidBilly，earnestly。“ForIlikeyou。WhenI
seenhimshowyouourcabinonBoxElder，andtheroomhehadfixedforyou，Iwasgladyouwerecomingtobemymother。Motherusedtobeawful。
Iwouldn’t’a’mindedherlickingmeifshe’ddoneotherthings。Ah，pshaw!Iwasn’tgoingtostandthat。“BillynowcameclosetoJessamine。
“IdowishyouwouldcomeandlivewithmeandLin，“saidhe。“Lin’sawfulnice。“
“Don’tIknowit？“saidJessamine，tenderly。
“CauseIheardyousayyouweregoingtomarryhim，“wentonBilly。“AndIseenhimkissyouandyoulethimthattimewewentawaywhenyoufoundoutaboutmother。Andyou’renotmad，andhe’snot，andnothinghappensatall，allthesame!Won’tyoutellme，please？“
Jessamine’seyeswereglistening，andshetookhiminherlap。Shewasnotgoingtotellhimthathewastooyoungthistime。Butwhateverthingsshehadshapedtosaytotheboywereneversaid。
Throughthenoiseofthegalecamethesteadiersoundofthetrain，andthegirlrosequicklytopresideoverherticket-officeanddutiesbehindtherailinginthefrontroomofthestation。TheboyrantothewindowtowatchthegreateventofSepar’sday。Thelocomotiveloomedoutfromtheyellowclotsofdrift，pausedatthewater-tank，andthenwithsteamandhummingcameslowlyonbytheplatform。Slowlyitslongdust-chokedtrainemergedtrundlingbehindit，andponderouslyhalted。Therewasnoonetogo。NoonecametobuyaticketofJessamine。Theconductorlookedinonbusiness，butshehadnotelegraphicordersforhim。Theexpressagentjumpedoffandlookedinforpleasure。Hereceivedhisdailysmileandnodoffriendlydiscouragement。Thenthelightbundleofmailwasflunginsidethedoor。Separhadnomailtogoout。AsshewaspickingupthelettersyoungBillypassedherlikeashadow，andfledout。Twopassengershaddescendedfromthetrain，amanandalargewoman。Hisclotheswerelooseandcarelessuponhim。Heheldvalises，andstooduncertainlylookingabouthiminthestorm。Herfirm，heavybodywascloselydressed。Inherhatwasalarge，handsomefeather。Alongbetweentheseveralcarsbrakemenleanedout，watchedher，andgrinnedtoeachother。Butherbig，hard-shiningblueeyeswerefixedcuriouslyuponthestationwhereJessaminewas。
“It’sallnightwemaybehere，isit？“shesaidtotheman，harshly。
“HowamItohelpthat？“heretorted。
“I’llhelpit。Ifthishotel’sthestyitusedtobe，I’llwalktoTommy’s。I’venotsawhimsinceIleftBearCreek。“
Shestalkedintothehotel，whilethemanwentslowlytothestation。Heentered，andfoundJessaminebehindherrailing，sortingtheslimmail。
“Good-evening，“hesaid。“Excuseme。Therewastobeawagonsenthere。“
“Forthetelegraph-mender？Yes，sir。ItcameTuesday。You’retofindthepole-wagonatDrybone。“
Thisnewswasgood，andallthathewishedtoknow。HecoulddriveoutandescapeanightattheHotelBrunswick。Buthelingered，becauseJessaminespokesopleasantlytohim。Hehadheardofheralso。
“GovernorBarkerhasnotbeenaroundhere？“hesaid。
“Notyet，sir。Weunderstandheisexpectedthroughonahunting-trip。“
“Isupposethereisroomfortwoandatrunkonthatwagon？“
“Ireckonso，sir。“Jessamineglancedattheman，andhetookhimselfout。MostmentookthemselvesoutifJessaminesowilled；anditwasmostlyachievedthus，inamity。
Ontheplatformthemanfoundhiswifeagain。
“ThenIneedn’ttowalktoTommy’s，“shesaid。“Andwe’lleataswetravel。Butyou’llwaittillI’mthroughwithher。“Shemadeagesturetowardthestation。
“Why——why——whatdoyouwantwithher。Don’tyouknowwhosheis？“
“Itwasmetoldyouwhoshewas，JamesLusk。You’llwaittillI’vebeenandaskedherafterLinMcLean’shealth，andtillI’vesawhowthelikesofhertalkstothelikesofme。“
Hemadeafeebleprotestthatthiswoulddonooneanygood。
“Sewyourselfup，JamesLusk。IfithasbeenyourideaIcomewithyusclearfromLaramietowatchyusplanttelegraph-polesinthesage-brush，whyyou’reoff。Iain’theardmuch’oLinsincethedayhelearneditwasyouandnothimthatwasmyhusband。AndI’vecomebackinthiscountrytohavealookatmyoldfriends——and“shelaughedloudlyandnoddedatthestation“myoldfriends’newfriends!“
Thusordered，thehusbandwanderedawaytofindhiswagonandthehorse。
Jessamine，intheoffice，hadfinishedherstationdutiesandreturnedtoherneedle。ShesatcontemplatingthescorchedsockofBilly’s，andheardaheavystepatthethreshold。Sheturned，andtherewasthelargewomanwiththefeatherquietlysurveyingher。Thewordswhichthestrangerspokethenwereusualenoughforabeginning。Buttherewassomethingofthreatinthestronganimalcountenance，somethingoflaughterreadytobreakout。Muchbeautyofitskindhadevidentlybeenintheface，andnow，assubstituteforwhatwasgone，wasthebraglookofassertionthatitwasstillallthere。ManystrandedtravellersknockedatJessamine’sdoor，andnow，asalways，sheofferedthehospitalitiesofherneatabode，theonlyroominSeparfitforawoman。Asshespoke，andtheguestsurveyedandlistened，thedoorblewshutwithacrash。
Outside，inashed，Billyhadplacedthewagonbetweenhimselfandhisfather。
“Howyouhavegrown!“themanwassaying；andhesmiled。“Come，shakehands。Ididnotthinktoseeyouhere。“
“Dareyoutotouchme!“Billyscreamed。“No，I’llnevercomewithyou。
LinsaysIneedn’tto。“
Themanpassedhishandacrosshisforehead，andleanedagainstthewheel。“Lord，Lord!“hemuttered。
Hissonwarilyslidoutoftheshedandlefthimleaningthere。
PARTII
LinMcLean，bachelor，satoutinfrontofhiscabin，lookingatasmallbrightpistolthatlayinhishand。Heheldittenderly，cherishingit，anddidnotceaseslowlytopolishit。Reveryfilledhiseyes，andinhiswholefacewassadnessunmasked，becauseonlytheanimalsweretheretoperceivehistruefeelings。Sunlightandwavingshadowsmovedtogetheruponthegreenofhispasture，cattleandhorsesloiteredintheopensbythestream。DownBoxElder’scourse，itsvalleyandgolden-chimneyedbluffswidenedawayintothelevelandtheblueofthegreatervalley。
Upstreamthebranchesandshining，quietleavesenteredthemountainswheretherockchimneysnarrowedtoagateway，acitadelofshaftsandturrets，crimsonandgoldabovethefilmyemeraldofthetrees。Throughtheretheroadwentupfromthecotton-woodsintothecoolquakingaspsandpines，andsoacrosstherangeandawaytoSepar。Alongtheridge-poleofthenewstable，twohundredyardsdown-stream，satMcLean’sturkeys，andcocksandhenswalkedinfrontofhimherebyhiscabinandfencedgarden。Slowsmokerosefromthecabin’schimneyintotheair，inwhichwerenosoundsbuttherunningwaterandtheafternoonchirpofbirds。Amidthisframeworkofahomethecow-punchersat，lonely，inattentive，polishingthetreasuredweaponasifitwerenotalreadylongclean。Histargetstoodsometwentystepsinfrontofhim——asmallcottonwood-tree，itstrunkchippedandhoneycombedwithbulletswhichhehadfiredintoiteachdayformemory’ssake。Presentlyheliftedthepistolandlookedatitsname——theword“Neighbor“engraveduponit。
“Iwonder，“saidhe，aloud，“ifshekeepstherustoffmine？“Thenhelifteditslowlytohislipsandkissedtheword“Neighbor。“
Theclankofwheelssoundedontheroad，andheputthepistolquicklydown。Dreaminessvanishedfromhisface。Helookedaroundalertly，butnoonehadseenhim。TheclankingwasstillamongthetreesalittledistanceupBoxElder。Itapproacheddeliberately，whilehewatchedforthevehicletoemergeupontheopenwherehiscabinstood；andthentheycame，amanandawoman。AtsightofherMr。McLeanhalfrose，butsatdownagain。Neitherofthemhadnoticedhim，sittingastheywereinsilenceandthedrowsinessofalongdrive。Themanwasweak-faced，withgoodlookssallowedbydissipation，andavanquishedglanceoftheeye。
AsthewomanhadstoodontheplatformatSepar，soshesatnow，upright，bold，andmassive。Thebragofpastbeautywasahabitsettleduponherstolidfeatures。Bothsatinattentivetoeachotherandtoeverythingaroundthem。Thewheelsturnedslowlyandwithadry，deadnoise，thereinsbelliedlooselytotheshafts，thehorse’sheadhunglow。Sotheydrewclose。ThenthemansawMcLean，andcolorcameintohisfaceandwentaway。
“Good-evening，“saidhe，clearinghisthroat。“Weheardyouwasincow-camp。“
Thecow-punchernotedhowhetriedtosmile，andafreakishchangecrossedhisowncountenance。Henoddedslightly，andstretchedhislegsoutashesat。
“Youlooknatural，“saidthewoman，familiarly。
“Seemtobefixednicehere，“continuedtheman。“Hadn’theardofit。
Well，we’llbegoingalong。Gladtohaveseenyou。“
“Yourwheelwantsgreasing，“saidMcLean，briefly，hiseyeupontheman。
“Can’tstop。Iexpectshe’lllasttoDrybone。Good-evening。“
“Staytosupper，“saidMcLean，alwaysseatedonhischair。
“Can’tstop，thankyou。IexpectwecanlasttoDrybone。“Hetwitchedthereins。
McLeanlevelledapistolatachicken，andknockedoffitshead。“Betterstaytosupper，“hesuggested，verydistinctly。
“It’sbusiness，Itellyou。I’vegottocatchGovernorBarkerbeforehe——“
Thepistolcracked，andasecondchickenshuffledinthedust。“Betterstaytosupper，“drawledMcLean。
Themanlookedupathiswife。
“Soyusneedme!“shebrokeout。“Ain’tgotheartenoughinyerplayed-outbodytostanduptoaman。We’lleathere。Getdown。“
Thehusbandsteppedtotheground。“Ididn’tsupposeyou’dwant——“
“Ho!want？What’sLin，oryou，oranythingtome？Helpmeout。“
Bothmencameforward。Shedescended，leaningheavilyuponeach，herbluestaringeyesfixeduponthecow-puncher。
“No，yusain’tchanged，“shesaid。“Sameinyourlooksandsameinyouractions。Wasyouexpectingyoucouldscareme，you，LinMcLean？“
“Ijustwantedchickensforsupper，“saidhe。
Mrs。Luskgaveahardhighlaugh。“I’lleat’em。It’snotIthatcares。
Asfor——“Shestopped。Hereyehadfallenuponthepistolandthename“Neighbor。““Asforyou，“shecontinuedtoMr。Lusk，“don’tyoubestandingdumbsameasthehorse。“
“Bettertakehimtothestable，Lusk，“saidMcLean。
Hepickedthechickensup，showedthewomantothebestchairinhisroom，andwentintohiskitchentocooksupperforthree。Hegavehisguestsnofurtherattention，nordideitherofthemcomeinwherehewas，nordidthehusbandrejointhewife。Hewalkedslowlyupanddownintheair，andshesatbyherselfintheroom。Lin’sstepsashemadereadyroundthestoveandtable，andLusk’sslowtreadoutinthesettingsunlight，weretheonlysoundsaboutthecabin。Whenthehostlookedintothedoorofthenextroomtoannouncethathismealwasserved，thewomansatinherchairnolonger，butstoodwithherbacktohimbyashelf。
Shegaveaslightstartathissummons，andreplacedsomething。Hesawthatshehadbeenexamining“Neighbor，“andhisfacehardenedsuddenlytofiercenessashelookedather；butherepeatedquietlythatshehadbettercomein。Thusdidthethreesitdowntotheirmeal。Occasionallyawordabouthandingsomedishfellfromoneorotherofthem，butnothingmore，untilLusktookouthiswatchandmentionedthehour。
“Yu’venotateespeciallyhearty，“saidLin，restinghisarmsuponthetable。
“I’mgoing，“assertedLusk。“GovernorBarkermaystartout。I’vegotmyintereststolookafter。“
“Why，sure，“saidLin。“Ican’thopeyou’llwasteallyourtimeonjustme。“
Luskroseandlookedathiswife。“It’llbetennowbeforewegettoDrybone，“saidhe。Andhewentdowntothestable。
Thewomansatstill，pressingthecrumbsofherbread。“Iknowyouseenme，“shesaid，withoutlookingathim。
“Sawyouwhen？“
“Iknowedit。AndIseenhowyoulookedatme。“Shesattwistingandpressingthecrumb。Sometimesitwasround，sometimesitwasacube，nowandthensheflattenedittoadisk。Mr。McLeanseemedtohavenothingthathewishedtoreply。
“Ifyouclaimthatpistolisyourn，“shesaidnext，“I’lltellyouIknowbetter。Ifyouaskmewhoseshoulditbeifnotyourn，Iwouldnothavetoguessthename。Shehastalkedtome，andmetoher。“
Shewasstilllookingawayfromhimatthebread-crumb，orshecouldhaveseenthatMcLean’shandwastremblingashewatchedherleaningonhisarms。
“Ohyes，shewaswillingtotalktome!“Thewomanutteredanothersuddenlaugh。“Iknowedabouther——all。Thingsgetheardofinthisworld。Didnotallaboutyouandmecometoherknowledgeinitsowngoodtime，anditdoneandgonehowmanyyears？My，my，my!“Hervoicegrewslowandabsent。Shestoppedforamoment，andthenmorerapidlyresumed：“Ithadtravelledaroundaboutyouandherlikeitalwayswilltravel。Itwasknownhowyouhadaskedher，andhowshehadtoldyoushewouldhaveyou，andthentoldyoushewouldnotwhenshelearnedaboutyouandme。Folksthatknowedyusandfolksthatneverseenyusintheirliveshadtohavetheirwordaboutherfacingyoudownyouhadanotherwife，thoughsheknowedthetruthaboutmebeingmarriedtoLuskandhimlivin’thedayyoumarriedme，andtenandtwentymarriagescouldnothavetiedyouandmeup，nomatterhowhonestyousworetonohinderance。Folkssaiditwasplainshedidnotwantyus。Itgivemeaqueerfeelin’toseethatgirl。
Itgivemeawishtotellhertoherfacethatshedidnotloveyusanddidnotknowlove。Wait——wait，Lin!Yu’neverhitmeyet。“
“No，“saidthecow-puncher。“Nornow。I’mnotLusk。“