"Yes," she answered, speaking those common words hesitatingly as if
they were from some unfamiliar foreign tongue, "I am to do what you
say."
She bent wearily down, her head buried within her hands. For a moment
Winston stood hesitating, scarcely daring to leave her. But she did
not move, and finally he turned away, walking directly toward that
indistinct figure standing beside the cabin door. As he drew closer he
recognized the old miner, his rifle half-raised in suspicion of his
visitor. It must be done, and the engineer went at his task directly.
"Has Brown come back?"
"Shore; he 's in thar now," and Hicks peered cautiously into the face
of his questioner, even while pointing back into the dark cabin. "He
come in a while ago; never said no word ter me, but just pushed past in
thar ter the bed, an' kneeled down with his face in the bed-clothes.
He ain't moved ner spoke since. I went in onct, an' tried ter talk ter
him, but he never so much as stirred, er looked at me. I tell yer, Mr.
Winston, it just don't seem nat'ral; 't ain't a bit like Stutter fer
ter act in that way. I just could n't stand it no longer, an' had ter
git out yere into the open air. Damn, but it makes me sick."
"This has been a terrible night," the younger man said gravely, laying
his hand upon the other's shoulder. "I hope never to pass through such
another. But we are not done with it yet. Hicks, Farnham has been
killed--shot. His body lies over yonder in that little cove, just
beyond the trail. You will have to attend to it, for I am going to get
his wife away from here at once."
"You are what?"
"I am going to take Miss Norvell away--now, to-night. I am going to
take her across to Daggett Station, to catch the east-bound train."
Hicks stared at him open-eyed, the full meaning of all this coming to
his mind by degrees.
"Good God! Do yer think she did it?" he questioned incredulously.
Winston shook him, his teeth grinding together savagely.
"Damn you! it makes no difference what I think!" he exclaimed fiercely,
his nerves throbbing. "All you need to know is that she is going;
going to-night; going to Daggett Station, to Denver, to wherever she
will be beyond danger of ever being found. You understand that? She
's going with me, and you are going to help us, and you are going to do
your part without asking any more fool questions."
"What is it you want?"
"Your horse, and the pony Mercedes was riding."
Hicks uttered a rasping oath, that seemed to catch, growling, in his
lean throat.
"But, see yere, Winston," he protested warmly. "Just look at the shape
your goin' now will leave us in yere at the 'Little Yankee.' We need
yer testimony, an' need it bad."