He followed
but he couldn't find her. He waited, but she never came back. A snow
storm covered her trail. Then Bucky says _he_ went mad--the fool! He
waited till spring, keeping that kid, and then he made up his mind to
get it back to Papa O'Doone in some way. He sneaked back where the cabin
had been, and found nothing but char there. It had been burned. Oh, the
devil, but it was funny! And after all this trouble he hadn't dared to
take O'Doone's place with the woman. Conscience? Bah! He was a fool. You
don't get a pretty woman like that very often, eh, Mac?" Unsteadily he
tilted the flask to turn himself out another drink. His voice was
thickening. David rejoiced when he saw that the flask was empty.
"Dam'!" said Brokaw, shaking it.
"Go on," insisted David. "You haven't told me how you came by the girl,
Brokaw?"
The watery film was growing thicker over Brokaw's eyes. He brought
himself back to his story with an apparent effort.
"Came west, Bucky did--with the kid," he went on. "Struck my cabin, on
the Mackenzie, a year later. Told me all about it. Then one day he
sneaked away and left her with me, begging me to put her where she'd be
safe. I did. Gave her to Hauck's woman, and told her Bucky's story.
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