"Yes, good-by till to-morrow or good-by forever. Take it as y'u like." 

 "Then you'll meet me here day after to-morrow?"  How eagerly he spoke, on impulse, without a consideration of the intangible thing that had changed him! 

 "Did I say I wouldn't?" 

 "No. But I reckoned you'd not care to after—" he replied, breaking off in some confusion. 

 "Shore I'll be glad to meet y'u. Day after to-morrow about mid-afternoon. Right heah. Fetch all the news from Grass Valley." 

 "All right. Thanks. That'll be—fine," replied Jean, and as he spoke he experienced a buoyant thrill, a pleasant lightness of enthusiasm, such as always stirred boyishly in him at a prospect of adventure. Before it passed he wondered at it and felt unsure of himself. He needed to think. 

 "Stranger shore I'm not recollectin' that y'u told me who y'u are," she said. 

 "No, reckon I didn't tell," he returned.  "What difference does that make? I said I didn't care who or what you are. Can't you feel the same about me?" 

 "Shore—I felt that way," she replied, somewhat non-plussed, with the level brown gaze steadily on his face.  "But now y'u make me think." 

 "Let's meet without knowin' any more about each other than we do now." 

 "Shore. I'd like that. In this big wild Arizona a girl—an' I reckon a man—feels so insignificant. What's a name, anyhow? Still, people an' things have to be distinguished. I'll call y'u 'Stranger' an' be satisfied—if y'u say it's fair for y'u not to tell who y'u are." 

 "Fair! No, it's not," declared Jean, forced to confession.  "My name's Jean—Jean Isbel." 

 "ISBEL!" she exclaimed, with a violent start.  "Shore y'u can't be son of old Gass Isbel.... I've seen both his sons." 

 "He has three," replied Jean, with relief, now the secret was out. "I'm the youngest. I'm twenty-four. Never been out of Oregon till now. On my way—" 

 The brown color slowly faded out of her face, leaving her quite pale, with eyes that began to blaze. The suppleness of her seemed to stiffen. 

 "My name's Ellen Jorth," she burst out, passionately.  "Does it mean anythin' to y'u?" 

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