That may be true of halfling boys, maybe, but
a man goes his ain gait even when he gets a bit facer."
"Yes," she agreed. And in a flash she saw what would happen, that in the
reaction from his depression he would turn to Genevieve Mallory and
marry her.
"You're too young for me, anyhow,--too soft and innocent. Once you told
me that you couldn't keep step with me. It's true. You can't. It was a
daft dream."
He took a deep breath, seemed to shake himself out of it, and smiled
cheerfully upon her.
"We'll put our treasure-trove on the sled and go back to your friends,"
he continued briskly. "To-morrow I'll send men up to scour the hills for
Northrup's body."
Sheba drew the canvas back over the face of the dead man. As she
followed Macdonald back to the trail, tears filled her eyes. She was
remembering that the white, stinging death that had crept upon these men
so swiftly had missed her by a hair's breadth. The strong, lusty life
had been stricken out of the big Cornishman and probably of his partner
in crime. Perhaps they had left mothers or wives or sweethearts to mourn
them.
Macdonald relieved Elliot at breaking trail and the young man went back
to the gee-pole.
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