The Valley of Silent Men / A Story of the Three River Country

nd with its movement came

in," h

overwhelming, questioning curiosity. They were apparently not regarding him as a dying human being, but as a creature immensely interesting to look upon. In place of the gratitude he had anticipated, they were filled with a great, wondering interrogation, and there was not the slightest hint of embarrassment in their gaze. For a space it seemed to Kent that he saw nothing but those wonderful, dispassionate eyes looking at him. Then he saw the rest of her-her amazing hair, her pale, exquisite face,

o her feet. Again O'Connor was right-tiny feet, high-heeled pumps, ravishin

was on the girl's lips. She looked down, and for the first time he saw w

ore he succeeded she had taken posse

ime to see you," she said. "Y

orry Dr. Cardigan kept yo

iolet eyes behind them did not smile back at him. The tranquillity of their gaze was disconcerting. It was as if she h

g to keep himself from slipping once more. "It is

made him feel that his s

ressing the thought to herself. "That is what I came

due to pop off this minute. Aren't you a little nervous, sitting s

ing the window, yet a glow like the glow of sunlight

I should like to see a man die-not quickly, like drowning or being sho

Kent. "It's a great

't be frighten

O

this was a new one. He stared into the blue eyes, tongueless and mentally dazed. They were cool and sweet and not at all excited. And he knew that

was but uttering his own philosophy of life, showing him life's cheapness, life's littleness, the absurdity of being distressed by

n Kent's forehead. It was another shock. It was not a professional touch, but a soft, cool little pressure that sent a comforting thril

he said. "What makes y

d not thought she would be quite so pretty. He had not believed her eyes would be so beautiful, or their lashes so long, or the touch of her hand so pleasantly unnerving. And now, in place of asking for her name and the reason for her visit, he became an irrational idiot, explaining to her certain matters of physiology th

s questioning in her eyes, the girl found h

. It's very fu

upplied, answeri

ny, Miss

e. Just Marette,

est thing in the world would be to have a woman beside me, a woman who'd be sort of sympathetic, you know, ease the thing off a little, maybe say she was sorry. And the

ve done with her mental analysis of him, and he saw that a bit of co

, and I've never cried very much. I'd rather see a man die than some animals. But I shoul

ent. "But why the d

she corre

ust the moment I'm due to explode? And what's your other

nty, and I came to get acquainted

t. "We're getting ther

and for a moment Kent thought that her love

splendidly to save another

't it possible for a decent man to kill another man and not be call

er in your confession that they are quite convinced. It would be too bad if you lived, for you surely would

son for your

they seemed to be looking through him and into him. "Because I kno

ar from the box that Cardigan had placed on his bed, and nibbl

r head the s

her gentleman kill John

N

ast one other. I killed John Barkley. If you sus

she breathed softly. "Do

, growing glory you see out there through the window Nature and I have become pretty good pals, and you see I've sort of built up a mot

impelling desire to put up his hand and touch her

when and why he was killed. Please tell me the truth. I want t

s cigar. The girl watched

not insane, I killed Barkley; if I didn't kill him, I must be insane, for I'm very well convinced that I did. Either that, or you are ins

hadowed by cloud, the smile was gone. "You are a brave man," she said. "You are splendid. I hate men. But I think if you lived very long, I should love you. I will be

e. I confessed because I knew I was going to die. Otherwise I am quite sure that I s

of beast. I like you. If there were a chance, I might fight for you. I

fight with your eyes. O'Connor told me they half killed

pector Kedsty's name would disturb her.

big, red-faced man

dsty isn't the sort to get easily frightened. And the queer part of it was that the instant you had gone, he gave O'Connor an order to free McTrigger-and then turned and followed you. All the rest of that day O'Connor tried to discover something about you at the Landing.

He would gladly have buried his own curiosity and all of O'Connor's suspicions

lashes with a foot rule in mind. They were superb, and in the thrill of his admiration he would have sworn they were an inch long. She lo

untly, as if she had not heard a word of all

going

you sh

"I suppose I'd have to take m

m going. I'm afraid of my eyes. I may look at you as I looked at Mr. Kedst

Undone, he could see it completely hiding her. And it was so soft and warm that again he was tempted to reach out and touch it. She was wonderful, and yet it was not possible that she had a heart. Her apparent

at the edge of a stream, exquisite, slender, strong. He could have picked her up in his arms as easily as a child, yet he sensed in the lithe beauty of her body forces that could endure magn

he said, "Some day, when I die, I wish

ver die," he r

d stood for a mo

en her a special sort of entertainment. "It's too bad you are goi

If you had only

nterrupted him. "It is really true that I shouldn't like to see you die.

is aorta was about to give away

e your eye

ds and caught for an instant the perfume of her face and hair,

by and was wondering at its red face. "I've only kissed three men before you," she avowed. "It i

. "Please wait. I want to kn

d I come from away off there, from a place we call the

th!" he

far north.

the latch. The d

aded again. "Y

orry I kissed you. I shouldn't have done that. Bu

ard her steps almost running down the hall, where no

heard her words again, drumming like little hammers