As they emerged from the theatre the morning air was cool and
quiet, while the sun was just rising. The Bronco Kid lighted a
cigar as they passed, nodding silently at their greeting. His eyes
followed them, while his hands were so still that the match burned
through to his fingers--then when they had gone his teeth met and
ground savagely through the tobacco so that the cigar fell, while
he muttered:

"So that's the girl you intend to marry? We'll see, by God!"




CHAPTER VIII

DEXTRY MAKES A CALL


The water front had a strong attraction for Helen Chester, and
rarely did a fair day pass without finding her in some quiet spot
from which she could watch the shifting life along its edge, the
ships at anchor, and the varied incidents of the surf.

This morning she sat in a dory pulled high up on the beach, bathed
in the bright sunshine, and staring at the rollers, while lines of
concentration wrinkled her brow. The wind had blown for some days
till the ocean beat heavily across the shallow bar, and now, as it
became quieter, longshoremen were launching their craft, preparing
to resume their traffic.