"No." He took up a bucket of water and a tin basin, going to a bench outside, to wash. In a few moments a horseman loped into view and disappeared again, hidden by an intervening rise. At sight of the rider a look of fear flashed across the face of Jean and he smothered a curse, hastily re-entering the cabin to dry his hands. "Dave!" he exclaimed. "Yes," assented Rose, impassively. "You know he come?" "No," as expressionless as before. "For why he come some early? But yes! Schatz, he send the money, eh? Eh?" Rose shrugged her shoulders doubtfully and answered the consequent look of anxiety on Jean’s face by placing her hands on his shoulders and gently shaking him. "Wait till he comes, _mon père_," she encouraged him. He nodded his head, unconsciously squaring his shoulders in response to the subtle appeal to his manhood. At the sound of the horseman’s feet he went outside. Dave’s smiling cheerfulness relieved his mind and he returned the greeting with newborn good humor, leading the horse off to the stable while Dave went indoors. The handsome animal glowed with the health of youth; not a trace of his evil nature showed in the sparkle of his eyes, and the clear red of his cheek still stood proof against the assaults of a life of reckless debauchery. "Hello, Rose," he cried, "I could n’t stay away no longer. I come up last night but you ’d turned in." Encircling her waist he drew her to him to kiss her on the cheek, laughing good-naturedly at the interposed hand. "All right, have it your own way. But I wants you to know I never aims to kiss a girl yet, as I don’t kiss her, come kissin’-time." "It is not kissing-time for me, Dave—no. Not for any man. Why you stay away so long?" she asked—and could have bitten her tongue for it the next instant. "Missed me, did you?" commented Dave, delighted. "Well, you see I—" he hesitated. "You do not want to tell for why you kill that unoffensive man and leave Fritz without a father." The contempt in her voice cut like a whip. "Unafensive!" he repeated, the color ebbing from his face to leave it the dangerous white of the fated homicide. "He was that unafensive he knocked me off my feet an’ started to pull a gun on me. It was an even break. That’s more ’n yore dad allows when anybody tries to rush him." She winced as if struck. "Is it not promise you speak nothing of this?" "I ain’t a-speakin’ of it. Nobody knows ’t was him. Leastwise nobody but me. I would n’t ’a’ dug it up on’y you go accusin’ me o’ killin’ when I has to protect myself." Jean was heard approaching and Rose made a weary gesture of submission. "_Eh, bien_. Me, I know nothing but what I hear. Do not be angry when father comes." "Peters, I suppose. D—n him for a liar." His face cleared as Jean entered. "Well, I got bad news for you, Jean. Schatz says he can’t let you have that money just now, but he ’ll remember you."