“Wal, the minnit that Lee seen the gurl he acted strange.  I wuz standin’ close an’ I went closer.  ‘Most exthraordinary rezemblance,’ he kept sayin’.  An’ thin he dug into his vest fer a pocket-book, an’ out of that he took a locket.  He looked at it—­thin at the little gurl who looked so sad.  Roight off he turned the color of a sheet.  ‘Gintlemen, look!’ he sez.  They all looked, an’ shure wuz sthruck with somethin’.

“‘Gintlemen,’ sez Lee, ’me wife left me years ago—­ran off West wid a gambler.  If she iver hed a child—­thot gurl is thot child.  Fer she’s the livin’ image of me wife nineteen years ago!’

“Some of thim laughed at him—­some of thim stared.  But Lee wuz dead in earnest an’ growin’ more excited ivery min nit.  I heerd him mutter low:  ‘My Gawd! it can’t be!  Her child! ...  In a gamblin’ hell!  But that face! ...  Ah! where else could I expect the child of such a mother?’

“An’ Lee went closer to where the gurl was waitin’.  His party follered an’ I follered too....  Jest whin the moosic sthopped an’ the gurl looked up—­thin she seen Lee.  Roight out he sthepped away from the crowd.  He wuz whiter ‘n a ghost.  An’ the gurl she seemed paralyzed.  Sthrange it wor to see how she an’ him looked alike thin.

“The crowd seen somethin’ amiss, an’ went quiet, starin’ an’ nudgin’....  Gineral, dom’ me if the gurl’s face didn’t blaze.  I niver seen the loike.  An’ she sthepped an’ come straight fer Lee.  An’ whin she sthopped she wuz close enough to touch him.  Her eyes wor great burnin’ holes an’ her face shone somethin’ wonderful.

“Lee put up a shakin’ hand.

“‘Gurl,’ he sez, ‘did yez iver hear of Allison Lee?’

“An’ all her seemed to lift.

“‘He is my father!’ she cried.  ‘I am Allie Lee!’

“Ah! thin that crowd wuz split up by a mon wot hurried through.  He wuz a greaser—­one of thim dandies on dress an’ diamonds—­a handsome, wicked-lookin’ gambler.  Seein’ the gurl, he snarled, ’Go back there!’ an’ he pointed.  She niver even looked at him.

“Some wan back of me sez thot’s Durade.  Wal, it was!  An’ sudden he seen who the gurl wuz watchin’—­Lee.

“Thot Durade turned green an’ wild-eyed an’ stiff.  But thot couldn’t hould a candle to Lee.  Shure he turned into a fiend.  He bit out a Spanish name, nothin’ loike Durade.

“An’ loike a hissin’ snake Durade sez, ‘Allison Lee!’

“Thin there wuz a dead-lock between thim two men, wid the crowd waitin’ fer hell to pay.  Life-long inimies, sez I, to meself, an’ I hed the whole story.

“Durade began to limber up.  Any man what knows a greaser would have been lookin’ fer blood.  ‘She—­wint—­back—­to yez!’ panted Durade.

“‘No—­thief—­Spanish dog!  I have not seen her for nineteen years,’ sez Lee.

“The gurl spoke up:  ‘Mother is dead!  Killed by Injuns!’

“Thin Lee cried out, ‘Did she leave him?’