“My God!” she sobbed.  “I’ll go crazy!  I’ll kill myself!”

I sat down again on the bench.  She had been so happy a few minutes ago, to all appearances, that I was astonished; but after waiting quite a while I could think of nothing to say to her.  So I turned my face away for fear that she might see what I felt must show in it.

“You’re in trouble, too,” she said.  “You babies!  My God, how I’d like to change places with you!  Did you see him kissing them?”

“Who?” I asked.

“My man,” she cried.  “Bliven.  You know how it is, with us.  You’re the only one that knows about me—­about us—­Jake.  I’ve been scared to death for fear you’d tell ever since I found you were coming here to live; and I dasn’t tell him—­he don’t know you know.  And now I almost wish you would tell—­put it in Dick McGill’s paper.  He wants somebody else already.  A woman that’s done as I have—­he can throw me away like an old shoe!  But I want you to promise me that if he ever shelves me you’ll let the world know.  Did you see him hugging them girls?  He’s getting ready to shelve me, I tell you!”

I sat for some time thinking this matter over.  Finally I spoke, and she seemed surprised, as if she had forgotten I was there.

“I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” said I.  “I won’t tell on you just because you think you want me to.  What would happen if everything in the lives of us folks out here was to be told, especially as it would be told in Dick McGill’s paper?  But if you ever find out for sure that he is going to—­going to—­to shelve you, why, come to me, and I’ll go to him.  I think he would be a skunk to—­to shelve you.  And I don’t see that—­that—­that he—­was any more fairce to hug and kiss than—­than some others.  Than you!”

“Or you,” said she, sort of snickering through her tears.

“I hated it!” I said.

“So did I,” said she.

“Maybe Doc did, too,” I suggested.

“No,” she replied, after a while.  “I’ll tell you, Jake, I’ll hold you to your promise.  Sometime I may come to you or send for you.  May I?”

“Any time,” I answered, and she went in, seeming quite cheered up.  I suppose she needed that blow-off, like an engine too full of steam.  I wonder if it was wrong to feel for her?  But it must be remembered that I had very little religious bringing up.

Well, the party came to an end presently, and Judge Stone came out and holloed for me to bring the team.  When I drove up to the door he asked me in a low tone to come and help carry the money out.  The governor unlocked his office, and then the safe, and took out the bag, which he handed to Judge Stone.

“Heavy as ever,” said the judge.  “Catch hold here, Jake, and help me carry it.”

“A heavy responsibility at least,” said the governor.  The governor’s hired people of whom he had always a large force had not taken part in the proceedings of the party, but most of them were gathered about as we took our departure.  They were to a great extent the younger men among the settlers, and the governor in later times never got tired of saying how much he had done for the early settlers in giving them employment.