"That's what I think," said Sim Gage slowly. "It's what I told her. But she always said she didn't have no place to go back to. She could stay here as long as she liked, but now I ain't got much." "But it can't run on this way, Gage," said Doctor Barnes. "That girl's clean as wheat. Something's got to be done about this." "Well, good God A'mighty!" said Sim Gage, "ain't that what I know? If only you'll tell me what's right to do, I sure will do it. In one way it ain't just only my fault she come out here, nor it ain't my fault if she don't go back." Doctor Barnes engaged for some time in breaking up bits of bark and casting them from his thumb nail. "Have you ever had any talk with her about this?" said he. "Some," said Sim honestly; "yes, some." "What was it?" "She told me, when she answered that ad, she was getting plumb desperate, account of her eyes. She was out of work, and she was broke, and she didn't have no folks on earth, and she'd lost all her money--her folks used to be rich, I reckon, like enough. That's the only reason she answered that fool ad about me being in the market, so to speak, fer a wife. That's how she come out. She must of been locoed. You cain't blame _her_. She was all alone in the whole world, but just one girl that knowed her. We got a letter from that girl--I got it here in my pocket. We opened it and read it, Wid and me did, yesterday. Her name's Annie Squires. But she's broke too, I reckon. Now what are we a-goin' to do?" "Have you ever talked the whole business over--you two--since she came out?" "Doc," said Sim Gage, "I told you, I tried my damnedest, and I just couldn't. I says to myself, lady like she was, it wouldn't be right fer a man like me to marry her noways on earth." "And what did she say?" Sim Gage began to stammer painfully. "I don't know what she would say," said he. "I ain't never asked her none yet." "Well, I reckon you'll have to," said Doctor Barnes slowly, after a long time in thought; "if she lives." "Lives? Doc, you don't mean to tell me she's that sick?" "She isn't trying to fight very hard. When your patient would rather die than live, you've got hard lines, as a doctor. It's hard lines here more ways than one." "Die--her!--What would _I_ do then, Doc?" asked Sim Gage, so simply that Doctor Barnes looked at him keenly, gravely. "It's not a question about you, you damn sagebrusher," said he at last, gently. "Question is, what's best for her. If I didn't feel such a woman was too good to be wasted I'd say, let her go; ethics be damned out here. If she gets well she'll have to decide some time what's to do about this whole business. That brings you into the question again. It was a bad bet, but deceived as she was, she's put herself under your protection. And mine!" "You see," he added, "that's something that really doesn't come under my profession, but it's something that's up to every decent man."