In that instant before she spoke, while her steady eyes rested on him, she
put together many things which had puzzled her. All of them pointed to
one conclusion. Even now her courage did not fail her. She put it into
words quietly: "You are that villain Black MacQueen."
He stared at her in surprise. "By God, girl--you're right. I'm MacQueen,
though I don't know how you guessed it."
"I don't know how I kept from guessing it so long. I can see it, now, as
plain as day, in all that you have done."
After that they measured strength silently with their eyes. If the
situation had clarified itself, with the added knowledge of the girl had
come new problems. Let her return to Mesa, and he could no longer pose as
O'Connor; and it was just the audacity of this double play that delighted
him. He was the most reckless man on earth; he loved to take chances. He
wanted to fool the officers to his heart's content, and then jeer at them
afterward. Hitherto everything had come his way.
But if this girl should go home, he could not show his face at Mesa; and
the spice of the thing would be gone. He was greatly taken with her
beauty, her daring, and the charm of high spirits which radiated from her.
Again and again he had found himself drawn back to her. He was not in love
with her in any legitimate sense; but he knew now that, if he could see
her no more, life would be a savorless thing, at least until his fancy had
spent itself. Moreover, her presence at Dead Man's Cache would be a
safeguard. With her in his power, Lee and Flatray, the most persistent of
his hunters, would not dare to move against the outlaws.
Inclination and interest worked together. He decided to take her back with
him to the country of hidden pockets and gulches. There, in time, he would
win her love--so his vanity insisted. After that they would slip away from
the scene of his crimes, and go back to the world from which he had years
since vanished.
The dream grew on him. It got hold of his imagination. For a moment he saw
himself as the man he had been meant for--the man he might have been, if
he had been able to subdue his evil nature. He saw himself respected, a
power in the community, going down to a serene old age, with this woman
and their children by his side. Then he laughed derisively, and brushed
aside the vision.