“Poor little lost soul!” he muttered, as he turned his steps toward the better-lighted cross street. “Reddick didn’t strain the truth when he said she had heroine stuff in her. She knew if she could make me stay, there would be no more talk of marriage; and it was for me that she wanted to kill that chance--not for herself. What a hell of a world this is, anyway!” XXV IT was in the forenoon following the Englishman’s staging of an imitative attempt to “shoot up the town” that Reddick spent an earnest hour trying to find Bromley, and finally ran across him as he was coming out of the Colorado National Bank. “Been hunting high and low for you,” said the redheaded one. “There is the devil to pay and no pitch hot. Have you seen Phil this morning?” “No,” said the play-boy. “Well, I have. One of our county officials is sending his family east, and I went up to the court house this morning to take him the tickets. While I was there, Phil came in and went through some sort of business at the counter. He didn’t see me; and after he was gone, I was curious enough to go and pry. He is taking the big jump, Harry--the one that will smother him for life! His business at the court house was to take out a marriage license for himself and ‘Little Irish’ Connaghey!” “And who is the Connaghey?” “She is a girl in Madam Blanche’s. Phil was asking me about her the other day. I told him the truth; that she was one of the straightest of the lot--for whatever that was worth. I thought he might be wanting to help her in some way, but I hadn’t the remotest idea he was thinking of making a complete fool of himself.” “Where did Phil go after he left the court house?” “I don’t know; I haven’t seen him since. It’s up to you to hustle, Harry. If this thing goes through, it is the end of Phil Trask. You know that as well as I do.” “I do, indeed. Thank you for putting me on. I’ll find Phil, if I have to take out a search warrant for him.” Losing no time, Bromley went first to the Alamo Building, and in the upper corridor he met a Jew second-hand furniture dealer coming out of Philip’s rooms and his heart sank. This meant that Philip was already disposing of his effects and preparing for flight. In the sitting-room he found Philip packing a trunk. “Quit that, Phil, for a minute or so and talk to me,” he began abruptly. Then: “We’ll skip the preliminaries; I know all about it--what you’ve done, and what you are intending to do. Don’t you know that it is preposterously impossible?” “No, I don’t,” was the firm denial. “It isn’t impossible. Jim Garth did it, and nothing but good came of it. He would be a different man to-day if the woman he rescued and married hadn’t died. But that is beside the mark, Harry. You know what I have done: I have spoiled my life, and I am no better than the woman I am going to marry; not half as good in some respects.” “She isn’t too good to let you ruin yourself, world without end, by marrying her!” retorted the play-boy.