"To hell with YOUR law--we're goin' accordin' to our own." An ominous echo arose, and in the midst of it the miner, in his blind fury forgetting his exalted position, took a step too near the edge of the bar, and fell off into the body of the meeting.

With him fell the dignity of the assemblage.

Some one laughed; another took it up; the nervous tension broke, and a man cried: "The soldier is right.

You can't blame a dinge for stealing," and another: "Sure! Hogs and chickens are legitimate prey." Lee was helped back to his stand, and called for order; but the crowd poked fun at him, and began moving about restlessly till some one shouted a motion to adjourn, and there arose a chorus of seconders.

A few dissenting voices opposed them, but in the meantime Burrell was gone, and with him the cause of the tumult; so the meeting broke up of its own weight a moment later.
As Poleon and Gale walked home, the Frenchman said, "Dat was nervy t'ing to do." The trader made no answer, and the other continued, "Stark is goin' for kill 'im, sure." "It's a cinch," agreed Gale, "unless somebody gets Stark first." When they were come to his door the trader paused, and, looking back over the glowing tents and up at the star-sprinkled heavens, remarked, as if concluding some train of thought, "If that boy has got the nerve to take a nigger thief out of a miners' meeting and hold him against this whole town, he wouldn't hesitate much at taking a white man, would he ?" "Wal," hesitated the other, "mebbe dat would depen' on de crime." "Suppose it was--murder ?" "Ha! We ain' got no men lak' dat in Flambeau." They said good-night, and the old man entered his house to find Alluna waiting for him, a look of worry on her stolid face.
"What's wrong ?" he inquired.
"All night Necia has been weeping." "Is she sick ?" He started for the girl's door, but Alluna stopped him.
"No! It is not that kind of weeping; this comes from the heart.