White's curiosity was betraying him and the sympathy in his eyes filled Truedale with a mad desire to take this "God's man" into his confidence. "No, Jim. I've come to pack and go back to--to my job!" "Gosh! it can't be much of a job if you can tackle it--lookin' like what you do!" "I've been tramping for--for days, old man! Rather overdone the thing. I'm not so bad as I look." "Glad to hear it!" laconically. "I'll put up with you to-night, Jim, if you'll take me in." Truedale made an effort to smile. "Provin' there ain't any hard feeling?" "There never was, White. I--understood." "Shake!" They got through the day somehow. The crust was forming over Truedale's suffering; he no longer had any desire to let even White break through it. Once, during the afternoon, the sheriff spoke of Nella-Rose and without flinching Truedale listened. "That gal will have Burke eatin' out o' her hand in no time. Lawson is all right at the kernel, all he needed was some one ter steady him. Once I made sure he'd married the gal, I felt right easy in my mind." "And you--did make sure, Jim? There was no doubt? I--I remember the pretty little thing; it would have been damnable to--to hurt her." "I scrooged the main fact out o' old Pete, her father. There was a mighty lot o' talk in the hills, but I was glad ter get the facts and shut the mouths o' them that take ter--ter hissin' like all-fired scorpions! Nella-Rose had writ to her father, but Marg, the sister, tore the letter up in stormin' rage 'cause Nella-Rose had got the man she had sot her feelin's on. Do you happen to call ter mind what I once told you 'bout those two gals and a little white hen?" Truedale nodded. "Same old actin' up!" Jim went on. "But when Greyson let out what war in the letter--knowin' Burke like what I do--I studied it out cl'ar enough. Nella-Rose was sure up agin blood and thunder whatever way yo' put it--so she ran her chances with Burke. There ain't much choosin' fo' women in the hills and Burke is an owdacious fiery feller, an' he ain't ever set his mind to no woman but Nella-Rose."