“Git!  Git!” shouted the men, angrily.  This was followed by a general movement towards him, which so impressed The Sidney Duck that he turned on his heel and was fleeing for his life when a cry from the Girl stopped him.

“Boys, boys,” said the Girl in a reproving voice, which silenced them almost instantly; then, beckoning to Sid to approach, she went on in her most gentle tones:  “I was jest gittin’ to you, Sid, as I promised.  You can stay.”

Looking like a whipped dog The Sidney Duck advanced warily towards her.

Sonora’s brow grew thunderous.

“What, here among gentlemen?”

And that his protest met with instantaneous approval was shown by the way the miners shifted uneasily in their seats and shouted threateningly: 

“Git!  Git!”

“Why, the fellow’s a—­” began Trinidad, but got no further, for the Girl stopped him by exclaiming: 

“I know, I know, Trin—­I’ve tho’t it all over!”

For the next few minutes the Girl stood strangely still and her face became very grave.  Never before had the men seen her in a mood like this, and they exchanged wondering glances.  Presently she said: 

“Boys, of late a man in trouble has been on my mind—­” She paused, her glance having caught the peculiar light which her words had caused to appear in Rance’s eyes, and lest he should misunderstand her meaning, she hastened to add:  “Sid, o’ course,—­an’ I fell to thinkin’ o’ the Prodigal Son.  He done better, didn’t he?”

“But a card sharp,” objected Sonora from the depths of his big voice.

“Yes, that’s what!” interjected Trinidad, belligerently.

The Girl’s eyebrows lifted and a shade of resentment was in the answering voice: 

“But s’pose there was a moment in his life when he was called upon to find a extra ace—­can’t we forgive ’im?  He says he’s sorry—­ain’t you, Sid?”

All the while the Girl had been speaking The Sidney Duck kept his eyes lowered and was swallowing nervously.  Now he raised them and, with a feeble attempt to simulate penitence, he acknowledged that he had done wrong.  Nevertheless, he declared: 

“But if I ’adn’t got caught things would ‘a’ been different.  Oh, yes, I’m sorry.”

In an instant the Girl was at his side removing the deuce of spades from his coat.

“Sid, you git your chance,” she said with trembling lips.  “Now go an’ sit down.”

A broad smile was creeping over The Sidney Duck’s countenance as he moved towards the others; but Happy took it upon himself to limit its spread.

“Take that!” he blazed, striking the man in the face.  “And git out of here!

“Happy, Happy!” cried the Girl.  Her voice was so charged with reproach that The Sidney Duck was allowed by the men to pass on without any further molestation.  Nevertheless, when he attempted to sit beside them, they moved as far away as possible from him and compelled him to take a stool that stood apart from the benches which held them together in friendly proximity.