第15章

"Don’tdraw！"warnedDuane。

"Lawson，gitawayfromyourgun！"yelledLaramie。

ButLawsonwascrazedwithfury。Hetuggedathiship，hisfacecordedwithpurplewelts，malignant，murderous。Duanekickedthegunoutofhishand。Lawsongotup，raging，andrushedout。

Laramieliftedhisshakinghands。

"What’dyouwinghimfor？"hewailed。"Hewasdrawin’onyou。

Kickin’menlikehimwon’tdoouthere。"

"Thatbull—headedfoolwillroarandbutthimselfwithallhisgangrightintoourhands。He’sjustthemanI’veneededtomeet。Besides，shootinghimwouldhavebeenmurder。"

"Murder！"exclaimedLaramie。

"Yes，forme，"repliedDuane。

"Thatmaybetrue——whoeveryouare——butifLawson’sthemanyouthinkheishe’llbeginthetsecretundergroundbizness。Why，Lawsonwon’tsleepofnightsnow。Hean’Longstrethhavealwaysbeenafterme。"

"Laramie，whatareyoureyesfor？"demandedDuane。"Watchout。

Andnowhere。SeeyourfriendMorton。Tellhimthisgamegrowshot。Togetheryouapproachfourorfivemenyouknowwellandcanabsolutelytrust。Imayneedyourhelp。"

ThenDuanewentfromplacetoplace，cornertocorner，bartobar，watching，listening，recording。Theexcitementhadprecededhim，andspeculationwasrife。Hethoughtbesttokeepoutofit。AfterdarkhestoleuptoLongstreth’sranch。Theeveningwaswarm;thedoorswereopen;andinthetwilighttheonlylampsthathadbeenlitwereinLongstreth’sbigsitting—

room，atthefarendofthehouse。WhenabuckboarddroveupandLongstrethandLawsonalighted，Duanewaswellhiddeninthebushes，sowellscreenedthathecouldgetbutafleetingglimpseofLongstrethashewentin。ForallDuanecouldsee，heappearedtobeacalmandquietman，intensebeneaththesurface，withanairofdignityunderinsult。Duane’schancetoobserveLawsonwaslost。Theywentintothehousewithoutspeakingandclosedthedoor。

Attheotherendoftheporch，closeunderawindow，wasanoffsetbetweenstepandwall，andthereintheshadowDuanehid。SoDuanewaitedthereinthedarknesswithpatiencebornofmanyhoursofhiding。

Presentlyalampwaslit;andDuaneheardtheswishofskirts。

"Something’shappenedsurely，Ruth，"heheardMissLongstrethsay，anxiously。"Papajustmetmeinthehallanddidn’tspeak。

Heseemedpale，worried。"

"CousinFloydlookedlikeathunder—cloud，"saidRuth。"Foroncehedidn’ttrytokissme。Something’shappened。Well，Ray，thishadbeenabadday。"

"Oh，dear！Ruth，whatcanwedo？Thesearewildmen。Floydmakeslifemiserableforme。Andheteasesyouunmer——"

"Idon’tcallitteasing。Floydwantstospoon，"declaredRuth，emphatically。"He’drunafteranywoman。"

"Afinecomplimenttome，CousinRuth，"laughedRay。

"Idon’tcare，"repliedRuth，stubbornly。"it’sso。He’smushy。

Andwhenhe’sbeendrinkingandtriestokissme——Ihatehim！"

Therewerestepsonthehallfloor。

"Hello，girls！"soundedoutLawson’svoice，minusitsusualgaiety。

"Floyd，what’sthematter？"askedRay，presently。"Ineversawpapaasheisto—night，noryouso——soworried。Tellme，whathashappened？"

"Well，Ray，wehadajarto—day，"repliedLawson，withablunt，expressivelaugh。

"Jar？"echoedboththegirls，curiously。

"Wehadtosubmittoadamnableoutrage，"addedLawson，passionately，asifthesoundofhisvoiceaugmentedhisfeeling。"Listen，girls;I’lltellyou—allaboutit。"Hecoughed，clearedhisthroatinawaythatbetrayedhehadbeendrinking。

Duanesunkdeeperintotheshadowofhiscovert，and，stiffeninghismusclesforaprotectedspellofrigidity，preparedtolistenwithallacutenessandintensity。JustonewordfromthisLawson，inadvertentlyutteredinamomentofpassion，mightbethewordDuaneneededforhisclue。

"Ithappenedatthetownhall，"beganLawson，rapidly。"YourfatherandJudgeOwensandIwerethereinconsultationwiththreeranchersfromoutoftown。ThenthatdamnedrangerstalkedindraggingSnecker，thefellowwhohidhereinthehouse。HehadarrestedSneckerforallegedassaultonarestaurant—keepernamedLaramie。Sneckerbeingobviouslyinnocent，hewasdischarged。Thenthisrangerbeganshoutinghisinsults。LawwasafarceinFairdale。Thecourtwasafarce。Therewasnolaw。Yourfather’sofficeasmayorshouldbeimpeached。Hemadearrestsonlyforpettyoffenses。Hewasafraidoftherustlers，highwaymen，murderers。Hewasafraidor——hejustletthemalone。Heusedhisofficetocheatranchersandcattlemeninlawsuits。Allthistherangeryelledforeveryonetohear。Adamnableoutrage。Yourfather，Ray，insultedinhisowncourtbyarowdyranger！"

"Oh！"criedRayLongstreth，inmingleddistressandanger。

"TherangerservicewantstorulewesternTexas，"wentonLawson。"Theserangersareallalowset，manyofthemworsethantheoutlawstheyhunt。Someofthemwereoutlawsandgun—fightersbeforetheybecamerangers。Thisisoneoftheworstofthelot。He’skeen，intelligent，smooth，andthatmakeshimmoretobefeared。Forheistobefeared。Hewantedtokill。Hewouldkill。Ifyourfatherhadmadetheleastmovehewouldhaveshothim。He’sacold—nerveddevil——theborngunman。MyGod，anyinstantIexpectedtoseeyourfatherfalldeadatmyfeet！"

"Oh，Floyd！Theunspeakableruffian！"criedRayLongstreth，passionately。

"Yousee，Ray，thisfellow，likeallrangers，seeksnotoriety。

HemadethatplaywithSneckerjustforachancetorantagainstyourfather。HetriedtoinflameallFairdaleagainsthim。Thataboutthelawsuitswastheworst！Damnhim！He’llmakeusenemies。"

"Whatdoyoucarefortheinsinuationsofsuchaman？"saidRayLongstreth，hervoicenowdeepandrichwithfeeling。"Afteramoment’sthoughtnoonewillbeinfluencedbythem。Donotworry，Floyd。Tellpapanottoworry。Surelyafteralltheseyearshecan’tbeinjuredinreputationby——byanadventurer。"

"Yes，hecanbeinjured，"repliedFloyd，quickly。"Thefrontierisaqueerplace。Therearemanybittermenhere——menwhohavefailedatranching。Andyourfatherhasbeenwonderfullysuccessful。Therangerhasdroppedpoison，andit’llspread。"

CHAPTERXVIII

StrangersrodeintoFairdale;andotherhard—lookingcustomers，newtoDuaneifnottoFairdale，helpedtocreateachargedandwaitingatmosphere。Thesaloonsdidunusualbusinessandwereneverclosed。Respectablecitizensofthetownwereawakenedintheearlydawnbyrowdiescarousinginthestreets。

Duanekeptprettycloseundercoverduringtheday。Hedidnotentertaintheopinionthatthefirsttimehewalkeddown—streethewouldbeatargetforguns。Thingsseldomhappenedthatway;

andwhentheydidhappenso，itwasmoreaccidentthandesign。

Butatnighthewasnotidle。HemetLaramie，Morton，Zimmer，andothersoflikecharacter;asecretclubhadbeenformed;

andallthememberswerereadyforaction。DuanespenthoursatnightwatchingthehousewhereFloydLawsonstayedwhenhewasnotupatLongstreth’s。Atnighthewasvisited，oratleastthehousewas，bystrangemenwhowereswift，stealthy，mysterious——allthatkindlydisposedfriendsorneighborswouldnothavebeen。Duanehadnotbeenabletorecognizeanyofthesenightvisitors;andhedidnotthinkthetimewasripeforaboldholding—upofoneofthem。Nevertheless，hewassuresuchaneventwoulddiscoverLawson，orsomeoneinthathouse，tobeintouchwithcrookedmen。

Laramiewasright。Nottwenty—fourhoursafterhislasttalkwithDuane，inwhichheadvisedquickaction，hewasfoundbehindthelittlebarofhisrestaurantwithabullet—holeinhisbreast，dead。Noonecouldbefoundwhohadheardashot。

Ithadbeendeliberatemurder，foruponthebarhadbeenleftapieceofpaperrudelyscrawledwithapencil:"Allfriendsofrangerslookforthesame。"

ThisrousedDuane。Hisfirstmove，however，wastoburyLaramie。NoneofLaramie’sneighborsevincedanyinterestinthedeadmanortheunfortunatefamilyhehadleft。Duanesawthattheseneighborswereheldincheckbyfear。Mrs。Laramiewasill;theshockofherhusband’sdeathwashardonher;andshehadbeenleftalmostdestitutewithfivechildren。Duanerentedasmalladobehouseontheoutskirtsoftownandmovedthefamilyintoit。Thenheplayedthepartofproviderandnurseandfriend。

AfterseveraldaysDuanewentboldlyintotownandshowedthathemeantbusiness。ItwashisopinionthatthereweremeninFairdalesecretlygladofaranger’spresence。Whatheintendedtodowasfoodforgreatspeculation。AcompanyofmilitiacouldnothavehadtheeffectuponthewildelementofFairdalethatDuane’spresencehad。Itgotoutthathewasagunmanlightningswiftonthedraw。Itwasdeathtofacehim。Hehadkilledthirtymen——wildestrumorofall。ltwasactuallysaidofhimhehadthegun—skillofBuckDuaneorofPoggin。

Atfirsttherehadnotonlybeengreatconjectureamongtheviciouselement，butalsoaverydecidedcheckingofallkindsofactioncalculatedtobeconspicuoustoakeen—eyedranger。

Atthetables，atthebarsandlounging—placesDuaneheardtheremarks:"Who’sthetrangerafter？What’llhedofustoff？Ishewaitin’fersomebody？Who’sgoin’todrawonhimfust——an’

gotohell？Jestabouthowsoonwillhebefoundsomewheresfulloflead？"

WhenitcameoutsomewherethatDuanewasopenlycultivatingthehoneststay—at—homecitizenstoarraythemintimeagainsttheotherelement，thenFairdaleshoweditswolf—teeth。SeveraltimesDuanewasshotatinthedarkandonceslightlyinjured。

RumorhaditthatPoggin，thegunman，wascomingtomeethim。

ButthelawlesselementdidnotriseupinamasstoslayDuaneonsight。Itwasnotsomuchthattheenemiesofthelawawaitedhisnextmove，butjustaslownesspeculiartothefrontier。Therangerwasintheirmidst。Hewasinteresting，ifformidable。Hewouldhavebeenwelcomedatcard—tables，atthebars，toplayanddrinkwiththemenwhoknewtheywereundersuspicion。Therewasarudekindofgoodhumorevenintheiropenhostility。

Besides，onerangeroracompanyofrangerscouldnothaveheldtheundividedattentionofthesemenfromtheirgamesanddrinksandquarrelsexceptbysomedecidedmove。Excitement，greed，appetitewererifeinthem。Duanemarked，however，astrikingexceptiontotheusualrunofstrangershehadbeeninthehabitofseeing。Sneckerhadgoneorwasundercover。AgainDuanecaughtavaguerumorofthecomingofPoggin，yetheneverseemedtoarrive。Moreover，thegoings—onamongthehabituesoftheresortsandthecowboyswhocameintodrinkandgamblewereunusuallymildincomparisonwithformerconduct。Thislull，however，didnotdeceiveDuane。Itcouldnotlast。Thewonderwasthatithadlastedsolong。

DuanewentoftentoseeMrs。Laramieandherchildren。OneafternoonwhilehewastherehesawMissLongstrethandRuthrideuptothedoor。Theycarriedabasket。EvidentlytheyhadheardofMrs。Laramie’strouble。Duanefeltstrangelyglad，buthewentintoanadjoiningroomratherthanmeetthem。

"Mrs。Laramie，I’vecometoseeyou，"saidMissLongstreth，cheerfully。

Thelittleroomwasnotverylight，therebeingonlyonewindowandthedoors，butDuanecouldseeplainlyenough。Mrs。Laramielay，hollow—checkedandhaggard，onabed。Onceshehadevidentlybeenawomanofsomecomeliness。Theravagesoftroubleandgriefweretheretoreadinherwornface;ithadnot，however，anyofthehardandbitterlinesthathadcharacterizedherhusband’s。

Duanewondered，consideringthatLongstrethhadruinedLaramie，howMrs。Laramiewasgoingtoregardthedaughterofanenemy。

"Soyou’reGrangerLongstreth’sgirl？"queriedthewoman，withherbright，blackeyesfixedonhervisitor。

"Yes，"repliedMissLongstreth，simply。"Thisismycousin，RuthHerbert。We’vecometonurseyou，takecareofthechildren，helpyouinanywayyou’llletus。"

Therewasalongsilence。

"Well，youlookalittlelikeLongstreth，"finallysaidMrs。

Laramie，"butyou’renotatALLlikehim。Youmusttakeafteryourmother。MissLongstreth，Idon’tknowifIcan——ifIoughtacceptanythingfromyou。Yourfatherruinedmyhusband。"

"Yes，Iknow，"repliedthegirl，sadly。"That’sallthemorereasonyoushouldletmehelpyou。Praydon’trefuse。Itwill——

meansomuchtome。"

Ifthispoor，strickenwomanhadanyresentmentitspeedilymeltedinthewarmthandsweetnessofMissLongstreth’smanner。

Duane’sideawasthattheimpressionofRayLongstreth’sbeautywasalwaysswiftlysucceededbythatofhergenerosityandnobility。Atanyrate，shehadstartedwellwithMrs。Laramie，andnosoonerhadshebeguntotalktothechildrenthanboththeyandthemotherwerewon。Theopeningofthatbigbasketwasanevent。Poor，starvedlittlebeggars！Duane’sfeelingsseemedtooeasilyroused。HardindeedwouldithavegonewithJimLaramie’sslayerifhecouldhavelaideyesonhimthen。

However，MissLongstrethandRuth，afterthenatureoftenderandpracticalgirls，didnotappeartotakethesadsituationtoheart。Thehavocwaswroughtinthathousehold。

Theneedsnowwerecheerfulness，kindness，help，action——andthesethegirlsfurnishedwithaspiritthatdidDuanegood。

"Mrs。Laramie，whodressedthisbaby？"presentlyaskedMissLongstreth。Duanepeepedintoseeadilapidatedyoungsteronherknee。Thatsight，ifanyotherwasneeded，completedhisfullandsplendidestimateofRayLongstrethandwroughtstrangelyuponhisheart。

"Theranger，"repliedMrs。Laramie。

"Theranger！"exclaimedMissLongstreth。

"Yes，he’stakencareofusallsince——since——"Mrs。Laramiechoked。

"Oh！Soyou’vehadnohelpbuthis，"repliedMissLongstreth，hastily。"Nowomen。Toobad！I’llsendsomeone，Mrs。Laramie，andI’llcomemyself。"

"It’llbegoodofyou，"wentontheolderwoman。"Yousee，Jimhadfewfriends——thatis，rightintown。Andthey’vebeenafraidtohelpus——afraidthey’dgetwhatpoorJim——"

"That’sawful！"burstoutMissLongstreth，passionately。"A

bravelotoffriends！Mrs。Laramie，don’tyouworryanymore。

We’lltakecareofyou。Here，Ruth，helpme。Whateveristhematterwithbaby’sdress？"

ManifestlyMissLongstrethhadsomedifficultyinsubduingheremotion。

"Why，it’sonhindsidebefore，"declaredRuth。"IguessMr。

Rangerhasn’tdressedmanybabies。"

"Hedidthebesthecould，"saidMrs。Laramie。"Lordonlyknowswhatwouldhavebecomeofus！"

"Thenheis——issomethingmorethanaranger？"queriedMissLongstreth，withalittlebreakinhervoice。

"He’smorethanIcantell，"repliedMrs。Laramie。"HeburiedJim。Hepaidourdebts。Hefetchedushere。Heboughtfoodforus。Hecookedforusandfedus。Hewashedanddressedthebaby。HesatwithmethefirsttwonightsafterJim’sdeath，whenIthoughtI’ddiemyself。He’ssokind，sogentle，sopatient。Hehaskeptmeupjustbybeingnear。SometimesI’dwakefromadoze，an’，seeinghimthere，I’dknowhowfalsewereallthesetalesJimheardabouthimandbelievedatfirst。

Why，heplayswiththechildrenjust——justlikeanygoodmanmight。WhenhehasthebabyupIjustcan’tbelievehe’sabloodygunman，astheysay。He’sgood，butheisn’thappy。Hehassuchsadeyes。Helooksfaroffsometimeswhenthechildrenclimbroundhim。Theylovehim。Hislifeissad。Nobodyneedtellme——heseesthegoodinthings。Oncehesaidsomebodyhadtobearanger。Well，Isay，’ThankGodforarangerlikehim！’

"

Duanedidnotwanttohearmore，sohewalkedintotheroom。

"Itwasthoughtfulofyou，"Duanesaid。"Womankindareneededhere。Icoulddosolittle。Mrs。Laramie，youlookbetteralready。I’mglad。Andhere’sbaby，allcleanandwhite。Baby，whatatimeIhadtryingtopuzzleoutthewayyourclotheswenton！Well，Mrs。Laramie，didn’tItellyou——friendswouldcome？Sowillthebrighterside。"

"Yes，I’vemorefaiththanIhad，"repliedMrs。Laramie。

"GrangerLongstreth’sdaughterhascometome。ThereforawhileafterJim’sdeathIthoughtI’dsink。Wehavenothing。

HowcouldIevertakecareofmylittleones？ButI’mgainingcourageto——"

"Mrs。Laramie，donotdistressyourselfanymore，"saidMissLongstreth。"Ishallseeyouarewellcaredfor。Ipromiseyou。"

"MissLongstreth，that’sfine！"exclaimedDuane。"It’swhatI’dhave——expectedofyou。"

Itmusthavebeensweetpraisetoher，forthewhitenessofherfaceburnedoutinabeautifulblush。

"Andit’sgoodofyou，too，MissHerbert，tocome，"addedDuane。"Letmethankyouboth。I’mgladIhaveyougirlsasalliesinpartofmylonelytaskhere。Morethangladforthesakeofthisgoodwomanandthelittleones。Butbothofyoubecarefulaboutcomingherealone。There’srisk。AndnowI’llbegoing。Good—by，Mrs。Laramie。I’lldropinagainto—night。

Good—by。"

"Mr。Ranger，wait！"calledMissLongstreth，ashewentout。Shewaswhiteandwonderful。Shesteppedoutofthedoorclosetohim。

"Ihavewrongedyour"shesaid，impulsively。

"MissLongstreth！Howcanyousaythat？"hereturned。

"IbelievedwhatmyfatherandFloydLawsonsaidaboutyou。NowIsee——Iwrongedyou。"

"Youmakemeveryglad。But，MissLongstreth，pleasedon’tspeakofwrongingme。Ihavebeena——agunman，Iamaranger——

andmuchsaidofmeistrue。Mydutyishardonothers——sometimesonthosewhoareinnocent，alas！ButGodknowsthatdutyishard，too，onme。"

"Ididwrongyou。IfyouenteredmyhomeagainIwouldthinkitanhonor。I——"

"Please——pleasedon’t，MissLongstreth，"interruptedDuane。

"But，sir，myconscienceflaysme，"shewenton。Therewasnoothersoundlikehervoice。"Willyoutakemyhand？Willyouforgiveme？"

Shegaveitroyally，whiletheotherwastherepressingatherbreast。Duanetooktheprofferedhand。Hedidnotknowwhatelsetodo。

Thenitseemedtodawnuponhimthattherewasmorebehindthiswhite，sweet，nobleintensityofherthanjustthemakingamendsforafanciedorrealwrong。Duanethoughtthemandidnotliveonearthwhocouldhaveresistedherthen。

"Ihonoryouforyourgoodnesstothisunfortunatewoman，"shesaid，andnowherspeechcameswiftly。"Whenshewasallaloneandhelplessyouwereherfriend。Itwasthedeedofaman。ButMrs。Laramieisn’ttheonlyunfortunatewomanintheworld。I，too，amunfortunate。Ah，howImaysoonneedafriend！Willyoubemyfriend？I’msoalone。I’mterriblyworried。Ifear——I

fear——Oh，surelyI’llneedafriendsoon——soon。Oh，I’mafraidofwhatyou’llfindoutsoonerorlater。Iwanttohelpyou。

Letussavelifeifnothonor。MustIstandalone——allalone？

Willyou——willyoube——"Hervoicefailed。

ItseemedtoDuanethatshemusthavediscoveredwhathehadbeguntosuspect——thatherfatherandLawsonwerenotthehonestrancherstheypretendedtobe。Perhapssheknewmore！

HerappealtoDuaneshookhimdeeply。Hewantedtohelphermorethanhehadeverwantedanything。Andwiththemeaningofthetumultuoussweetnessshestirredinhimtherecamerealizationofadangeroussituation。

"Imustbetruetomyduty，"hesaid，hoarsely。

"Ifyouknewmeyou’dknowIcouldneveraskyoutobefalsetoit。"

"Well，then——I’lldoanythingforyou。"

"Oh，thankyou！I’mashamedthatIbelievedmycousinFloyd！Helied——helied。I’mallinthedark，strangelydistressed。Myfatherwantsmetogobackhome。Floydistryingtokeepmehere。They’vequarreled。Oh，Iknowsomethingdreadfulwillhappen。IknowI’llneedyouif——if——Willyouhelpme？"

"Yes，"repliedDuane，andhislookbroughtthebloodtoherface。

CHAPTERXIX

AftersupperDuanestoleoutforhisusualevening’sspying。

Thenightwasdark，withoutstarlight，andastiffwindrustledtheleaves。DuanebenthisstepstowardtheLongstreth’sranchhouse。Hehadsomuchtothinkaboutthatheneverknewwherethetimewent。ThisnightwhenhereachedtheedgeoftheshrubberyheheardLawson’swell—knownfootstepsandsawLongstreth’sdooropen，flashingabroadbaroflightinthedarkness。Lawsoncrossedthethreshold，thedoorclosed，andallwasdarkagainoutside。Notarayoflightescapedfromthewindow。

LittledoubttherewasthathistalkwithLongstrethwouldbeinterestingtoDuane。Hetiptoedtothedoorandlistened，butcouldhearonlyamurmurofvoices。Besides，thatpositionwastoorisky。Hewentroundthecornerofthehouse。

Thissideofthebigadobehousewasofmucholderconstructionthanthebackandlargerpart。Therewasanarrowpassagebetweenthehouses，leadingfromtheoutsidethroughtothepatio。

ThispassagenowaffordedDuaneanopportunity，andhedecidedtoavailhimselfofitinspiteoftheverygreatdanger。

Crawlingonverystealthily，hegotundertheshrubberytotheentranceofthepassage。Intheblacknessafaintstreakoflightshowedthelocationofacrackinthewall。Hehadtoslipinsidewise。Itwasatightsqueeze，butheenteredwithouttheslightestnoise。Asheprogressedthepassagegrewaverylittlewiderinthatdirection，andthatfactgaverisetothethoughtthatincaseofanecessaryandhurriedexithewoulddobestbyworkingtowardthepatio。Itseemedagooddealoftimewasconsumedinreachingavantage—point。Whenhedidgettherethecrackhehadmarkedwasafootoverhishead。

Therewasnothingtodobutfindtoe—holesinthecrumblingwalls，andbybracingkneesononeside，backagainsttheother，holdhimselfupOncewithhiseyetherehedidnotcarewhatriskheran。Longstrethappeareddisturbed;hesatstrokinghismustache;hisbrowwasclouded。Lawson’sfaceseemeddarker，moresullen，yetlightedbysomeindomitableresolve。

"We’llsettlebothdealsto—night，"Lawsonwassaying。"That’swhatIcamefor。"

"ButsupposeIdon’tchoosetotalkhere？"protestedLongstreth，impatiently。"Ineverbeforemademyhouseaplaceto——"

"We’vewaitedlongenough。Thisplace’sasgoodasany。You’velostyournervesincethatrangerhitthetown。Firstnow，willyougiveRaytome？"

"Floyd;youtalklikeaspoiledboy。GiveRaytoyou！Why，she’sawoman，andI’mfindingoutthatshe’sgotamindofherown。ItoldyouIwaswillingforhertomarryyou。Itriedtopersuadeher。ButRayhasn’tanyuseforyounow。Shelikedyouatfirst。Butnowshedoesn’t。SowhatcanIdo？"

"Youcanmakehermarryme，"repliedLawson。

"Makethatgirldowhatshedoesn’twantto？Itcouldn’tbedoneevenifItried。AndIdon’tbelieveI’lltry。Ihaven’tthehighestopinionofyouasaprospectiveson—in—law，Floyd。

ButifRaylovedyouIwouldconsent。We’dallgoawaytogetherbeforethisdamnedmiserablebusinessisout。Thenshe’dneverknow。AndmaybeyoumightbemorelikeyouusedtobebeforetheWestruinedyou。Butasmattersstand，youfightyourowngamewithher。AndI’lltellyounowyou’lllose。"

"What’dyouwanttolethercomeoutherefor？"demandedLawson，hotly。"Itwasadeadmistake。I’velostmyheadoverher。I’llhaveherordie。Don’tyouthinkifshewasmywifeI’dsoonpullmyselftogether？Sinceshecamewe’venoneofusbeenright。Andtheganghasputupaholler。No，Longstreth，we’vegottosettlethingsto—night。"

"Well，wecansettlewhatRay’sconcernedin，rightnow，"

repliedLongstreth，rising。"Comeon;we’llaskher。Seewhereyoustand。"

Theywentout，leavingthedooropen。Duanedroppeddowntoresthimselfandtowait。HewouldhavelikedtohearMissLongstreth’sanswer。Buthecouldguesswhatitwouldbe。

LawsonappearedtobeallDuanehadthoughthim，andhebelievedhewasgoingtofindoutpresentlythathewasworse。

Themenseemedtobeabsentagoodwhile，thoughthatfeelingmighthavebeenoccasionedbyDuane’sthrillinginterestandanxiety。Finallyheheardheavysteps。Lawsoncameinalone。Hewasleaden—faced，humiliated。Thensomethingabjectinhimgaveplacetorage。Hestrodetheroom;hecursed。ThenLongstrethreturned，nowappreciablycalmer。DuanecouldnotbutdecidethathefeltreliefattheevidentrejectionofLawson’sproposal。

"Don’tfussaboutit，Floyd，"hesaid。"YouseeIcan’thelpit。We’reprettywildouthere，butIcan’tropemydaughterandgivehertoyouasIwouldanunrulysteer。"

"Longstreth，IcanMAKEhermarryme，"declaredLawson，thickly。

"How？"

"YouknowtheholdIgotonyou——thedealthatmadeyoubossofthisrustlergang？"

"Itisn’tlikelyI’dforget，"repliedLongstreth，grimly。

"IcangotoRay，tellherthat，makeherbelieveI’dtellitbroadcast——tellthisranger——unlessshe’dmarryme。"

Lawsonspokebreathlessly，withhaggardfaceandshadowedeyes。

Hehadnoshame。Hewassimplyinthegripofpassion。

Longstrethgazedwithdark，controlledfuryatthisrelative。

InthatlookDuanesawastrong，unscrupulousmanfallenintoevilways，butstillaman。ItbetrayedLawsontobethewildandpassionateweakling。Duaneseemedtoseealsohowduringalltheyearsofassociationthisstrongmanhadupheldtheweakone。Butthattimehadgoneforever，bothinintentonLongstreth’spartandinpossibility。Lawson，likethegreatmajorityofevilandunrestrainedmenontheborder，hadreachedapointwhereinfluencewasfutile。Reasonhaddegenerated。Hesawonlyhimself。

"But，Floyd，Ray’stheonepersononearthwhomustneverknowI’marustler，athief，ared—handedruleroftheworstgangontheborder，"repliedLongstreth，impressively。

Floydbowedhisheadatthat，asifthesignificancehadjustoccurredtohim。Buthewasnotlongataloss。

"She’sgoingtofinditoutsoonerorlater。Itellyousheknowsnowthere’ssomethingwrongouthere。She’sgoteyes。

MarkwhatIsay。"

"Rayhaschanged，Iknow。Butshehasn’tanyideayetthatherdaddy’sabossrustler。Ray’sconcernedaboutwhatshecallsmydutyasmayor。AlsoIthinkshe’snotsatisfiedwithmyexplanationsinregardtocertainproperty。"

Lawsonhaltedinhisrestlesswalkandleanedagainstthestonemantelpiece。Hehadhishandsinhispockets。Hesquaredhimselfasifthiswashislaststand。Helookeddesperate，butonthemomentshowedanabsenceofhisusualnervousexcitement。

"Longstreth，thatmaywellbetrue，"hesaid。"Nodoubtallyousayistrue。Butitdoesn’thelpme。Iwantthegirl。IfI

don’tgether——Ireckonwe’llallgotohell！"

Hemighthavemeantanything，probablymeanttheworst。Hecertainlyhadsomethingmoreinmind。Longstrethgaveaslightstart，barelyperceptible，liketheswitchofanawakeningtiger。Hesatthere，headdown，strokinghismustache。AlmostDuanesawhisthought。Hehadlongexperienceinreadingmenunderstressofsuchemotion。Hehadnomeanstovindicatehisjudgment，buthisconvictionwasthatLongstrethrightthenandtheredecidedthatthethingtodowastokillLawson。ForDuane’sparthewonderedthatLongstrethhadnotcometosuchaconclusionbefore。NotimprobablytheadventofhisdaughterhadputLongstrethinconflictwithhimself。