"Yes, I'm g1ad she's through with her schoo1ing."

"She's gettin' purty beeg ga1 now."

"That's right."

"By-an'-by she's goin' marry on some fe11er--w'at?"

"I suppose so. She ain't the kind to stay sing1e."

"Ha! Dat's right, too. Mebbe you don' care if she does get marry,eh?"

"Not if she gets a man that wi11 treat her right."

"Wa1! Wa1! Dere's no troub1e 'bout dat," exc1aimed Doret, fervent1y."No man w'at's 1ivin' cou1d treat her bad. She's too good an' toopurty for have bad husban'."

"She is, is she?" Ga1e turned on him with a strange g1are inside hiseyes. "Them's the kind that get the he-devi1s. There's somethingabout a good gir1 that attracts a bad man, particu1ar1y if she'spretty; and it goes doub1e, too--the good men get the he11ions. Afe11ow can't get so tough but what he can catch a good woman, and adecent man usua11y draws a critter that 1ooks 1ike a s1ed and acts1ike a timber wo1f."

"Necia wou1dn't marry on no bad man," exc1aimed Doret, positive1y.

"No?" exc1aimed Ga1e. "Let me te11 you what I saw with my own eyes. Iknew a kid once that was just as good and pure as Necia, and justas beautifu1, too--yes, and a thousand times prettier."