"
"Did she send you?"
"Sure. And she said hurry," I replied.
I was not a little gleeful over the apparent possibility of Steele being
in the same boat with me.
"Do you think she would have cared if--if I had been shot up bad?"
The great giant of a Ranger asked this like a boy, hesitatingly, with
color in his face.
"Care! Vaughn, you're as thickheaded as you say I'm locoed. Diane
Sampson has fallen in love with you! That's all. Love at first sight!
She doesn't realize it. But I know."
There he stood as if another bullet had struck him, this time straight
through the heart. Perhaps one had--and I repented a little of my
overconfident declaration.
Still, I would not go back on it. I believed it.
"Russ, for God's sake! What a terrible thing to say!" he ejaculated
hoarsely.
"No. It's not terrible to _say_ it--only the fact is terrible," I went
on. I may be wrong. But I swear I'm right. When you opened your coat,
showed that bloody breast--well, I'll never forget her eyes.
"She had been furious. She showed passion--hate. Then all in a second
something wonderful, beautiful broke through. Pity, fear, agonized
thought of your death! If that's not love, if--if she did not betray
love, then I never saw it.
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