"Where?" cried Keno, suddenly aroused. "I'll go and kill the cuss that
took him off!"

"Miss Doc!" replied the miner. "Miss Doc!"

"Miss Doc?" repeated Keno, weakly, pausing in the act of pulling on his
boots. "By jinks! Say, I couldn't kill no woman, Jim. How do you
know?"

"Stands to reason," Jim replied, and explaining his premises rapidly
and clearly, he punched poor Keno into something almost as good as
activity.

"By jinks! I can't believe it," said Keno, who did believe it with
fearful thoroughness. "Jim, she wouldn't dare, an' us two fellers
liable to bust her house to pieces."

"Don't you know she'd be dead sure to play a trick like that?" said
Jim, who could not bear to listen to a doubt. "Don't you see she
couldn't do anything else, bein' a woman?"

"Maybe--maybe," answered Keno, with a sort of acquiescence that is
deadlier than an out-and-out denial. "But--I wouldn't want to see you
disappointed, Jim--I wouldn't want to see it."

"Wal, you come on, that's all," said Jim. "If it ain't so--I want to
know it early in the day!"

"But--what can I do?" still objected Keno. "Wouldn't you rather I'd
stay home and git the breakfast?"