As for Nella-Rose, as soon as she left Truedale, her mind turned to sterner matters close at hand.  She became aware before long of some one near by.  The person, whoever it was, seemed determined to remain hidden but for that very reason it called out all the girl’s cunning and cleverness.  It might be—­Burke Lawson!  With this thought Nella-Rose gasped a little.  Then, it might be Marg; and here the dark eyes grew hard—­the lips almost cruel!  She got down upon her knees and crawled like a veritable little animal of the wilds.  Keeping close to the ground, she advanced to where the trail from Lone Dome met the broader one, and there, standing undecided and bewildered, was a tall, fair girl.

Nella-Rose sprang to her feet, her eyes ablaze.

“Marg!  What you—­hounding me for?”

“Nella-Rose, where you been?”

“What’s that to you?”

“You’ve been up to Devil-may-come Hollow!”

“Have I?  Let me pass, Marg.  Have your mully-grubs, if you please; I’m going home.”

As Nella-Rose tried to pass, Marg caught her by the arm.

“Burke’s back!” she whispered, “he’s hiding up to Devil-may-come!  He’s been seen and you know it!”

“What if I do?” Nella-Rose never ignored a possible escape for the future.

“You’ve been up there—­to meet him.  You ought to be licked.  If you don’t let him alone—­let him and me alone—­I’ll turn Jed on him, I will; I swear it!”

“What is he—­to you!” Nella-Rose confronted her sister squarely.  Blue eyes—­bold, cold blue they were—­looked into dark ones even now so soft and winning that it was difficult to resist them.

“If you let him alone, he’ll be everything to me!” Marg blurted out.  “What do you want of him, Nella-Rose?—­of him or any other man?  But if you must have a sweetheart, pick and choose and let me have my day.”

The rough appeal struck almost brutally on Nella-Rose’s ears.  She was as un-moral, perhaps, as Marg, but she was more discriminating.

“I’m mighty tired of cleaning and cooking for—­for father and you!” Marg tossed her head toward Lone Dome.  “Father’s mostly always drunk these days and you—­what do you care what becomes of me?  Leave me to get a man of my own and then I’ll be human.  I’ve been—­killing the hog to-day!” Marg suddenly and irrelevantly burst out; “I—­I shall never do it again.  We’ll starve first!”

“Why didn’t father?” Nella-Rose said, softly.

“Father?  Huh! he couldn’t have held the knife.  He went for the jug—­and got it full!  No, I had to do it, but it’s the last time.  Nella-Rose, tell me where Burke is hidden—­tell me!  Leave me free to—­to win him; let me have my chance!”

“And then who’ll kill the pig?” Nella-Rose shuddered.

“Who cares?” Marg flung back.

“No!  Find him if you can.  Fair play—­no favours; what I find is open to you!” Nella-Rose laughed impishly and, darting past her sister, ran down the path.