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Save this, that Eleanor Beatrice is grateful with her full heart to the Man. He is to remember that he has been adopted by Nels. He is to walk softly because he is on the way to be adopted of course it is past belief, but also it is past question by the mightiest of all mystic orders, whose messengers have accomplished this thing.
"What's wrong?" asked Nels, lifting his hand again. "Man! Don't touch me!" Nels stepped back instantly. He seemed to become aware of Stewart's white, wild passion. Again Stewart moved to mount. "Nels, don't make me forget we've been friends," he said. "Shore I ain't fergettin'," replied Nels. "An' I resign my job right here an' now!" His strange speech checked the mounting cowboy.
But as you did come, and as you were dragged away by those devils, I want you to know that all your wealth and position and influence all that power behind you would never have saved you from hell to-night. Only such a man as Nels or Nick Steele or I could have done that." Madeline Hammond felt the great leveling force of the truth.
Presently an almost noiseless chuckle came from the man, and he touched Nels' shoulder as if to say that he had it too. The thing had come unexpectedly the faintest possible taint of a lair. They would have passed it a hundred times if it had not been for the scent. The silence was absolute and the walls of the fissure apparently as unbroken as usual.
Madeline dismissed Nels, but before he got out of earshot she heard him speak to Stillwell, who awaited him on the porch. "Bill, put this in your pipe an' smoke it none of them scraps Gene has hed was over a woman! It used to be thet when he was drank he'd scrap over every pretty Greaser girl he'd run across.
We sure had trouble in finding a trace of you. Nick spotted the prints of your heels under the window. And then we knew. I had to fight the boys. If they'd come after you we'd never have gotten you without a fight. I didn't want that. Old Bill came out packing a dozen guns. He was crazy. I had to rope Monty. Honest, I tied him to the porch. Nels and Nick promised to stay and hold him till morning.
Cactus barred the way, rocks barred the way, gullies barred the way, and these Nels addressed in the grim humor with which he was wont to view tragic things.
I'm not disputing that," replied Stewart. "If it wasn't for Miss Hammond and the other women, I'd rather enjoy seeing you and Monty open up on that bunch. I'm thinking I'd be glad to meet Don Carlos. But Miss Hammond! Why, Nels, such a woman as she is would never recover from the sight of real gun-play, let alone any stunts with a rope. These Eastern women are different.
She wheeled to him in trembling importunity. How cold, bright, blue the flash of his eyes! They told Madeline she must not weaken. But she could not speak her thought to Nels could only look at Link. "It figgers impossible, but I'll do it!" said Link Stevens, in answer to her voiceless query.
Passing by several houses, Nels stopped at the door of what appeared to be an alleyway leading back. It was filthy. "He's in there, around thet first corner. It's a patio, open an' sunny. An', Miss Hammond, if you don't mind, I'll wait here for you. I reckon Gene wouldn't like any fellers around when he sees you girls." It was that which made Madeline hesitate then and go forward slowly.
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