But she was a treasure no bad man could appreciate, and so he tired quickly, even before the little one came.
"When I heard that she had borne him a daughter I wrote her a letter, which took me a month to compose, and which I tore up.

One day a story came to me that made me saddle my horse to ride down and kill him--and, mind you, I was a man who made pets of little wild, trusting things.
But I knew she would surely send for me when her pain became too great, so I uncinched my gear and hung it up, and waited and waited and waited.

Three long, endless years I waited, almost within sound of her voice, without a word from her, without a glimpse of her, and every hour of that time went by as slowly as if I had held my breath.

Then she called to me, and I went.
"I tell you, I was thankful that day for the fortune that had made me take good care of my horse, for I rode like Death on a wind-storm.

It grew moonlight as I raced down the valley, and the foam from the animal's muzzle lodged on my clothes, and made me laugh and swear that the morning sun would show Dan Bennett's blood in its place.