‘Of all the loco things I ever heard of,’ grunted the man. ‘Listen, sister: is this on the square? Would you give up—say, don’tcha know there ain’t a chance of yuh ever gettin’ out of here unless somebody guides yuh? You’ll die here, and the buzzards will strip yore bones. Do yuh realize that? Do yuh? And still you’d stay with that damn weak-kneed tenderfoot? Slough off a chance to git home safe? Yuh would? Well, I’d like to know why.’
‘Because,’ said Nan wearily, ‘I love him.’
The man jerked forward. ‘You what? You love him? You love——’
‘I have told you why I will stay,’ said Nan. ‘If he stays here, I stay, too.’
‘Well, good God!’ exploded the man. ‘With all the reg’lar men in the State of Arizona—you pick that.’
He moved back and sat down on the rock, where he rolled another cigarette, only to toss it aside. After a long silence he said softly:
‘Well, I’ll be damned!’
‘Won’t you cut him loose?’ begged Nan. ‘Can’t you see those ropes are cutting him?’
‘Pretty soft-skinned. Why in hell didn’t he stay where he belonged?’
But he made no move to release Rex; he was studying Nan, humped on the rock, her hands between her knees, as she looked at Rex, her eyes filled with tears.