"--that was way back in the sixties, about the time of the war," he was saying. "Rustlin' cattle wasn't nuthin' then to what it is now. An' times is rougher these days. This gun-throwin' has come to be a disease. Men have an itch for the draw same as they used to have fer poker. The only real gambler outside of greasers we ever had here was Bill, an' I presume Bill is burnin' now."The approaching outlaws, hearing voices, halted a rod or so from the porch. Then Mrs. Bland uttered an exclamation, ostensibly meant to express surprise, and hurried out to meet them. She greeted her husband warmly and gave welcome to the other man. Duane could not see well enough in the shadow to recognize Bland's companion, but he believed it was Alloway.
"Dog-tired we are and starved," said Bland, heavily. "Who's here with you?""That's Euchre on the porch. Duane is inside at the window with Jen," replied Mrs. Bland.
"Duane!" he exclaimed. Then he whispered low--something Duane could not catch.
"Why, I asked him to come," said the chief's wife. She spoke easily and naturally and made no change in tone. "Jen has been ailing. She gets thinner and whiter every day. Duane came here one day with Euchre, saw Jen, and went loony over her pretty face, same as all you men. So I let him come."Bland cursed low and deep under his breath. The other man made a violent action of some kind and apparently was quieted by a restraining hand.
"Kate, you let Duane make love to Jennie?" queried Bland, incredulously.
"Yes, I did," replied the wife, stubbornly. "Why not? Jen's in love with him. If he takes her away and marries her she can be a decent woman."Bland kept silent a moment, then his laugh pealed out loud and harsh.
"Chess, did you get that? Well, by God! what do you think of my wife?""She's lyin' or she's crazy," replied Alloway, and his voice carried an unpleasant ring.
Mrs. Bland promptly and indignantly told her husband's lieutenant to keep his mouth shut.
"Ho, ho, ho!" rolled out Bland's laugh.
Then he led the way to the porch, his spurs clinking, the weapons he was carrying rattling, and he flopped down on a bench.
"How are you, boss?" asked Euchre.
"Hello, old man. I'm well, but all in."
Alloway slowly walked on to the porch and leaned against the rail. He answered Euchre's greeting with a nod. Then he stood there a dark, silent figure.
Mrs. Bland's full voice in eager questioning had a tendency to ease the situation. Bland replied briefly to her, reporting a remarkably successful trip.
Duane thought it time to show himself. He had a feeling that Bland and Alloway would let him go for the moment. They were plainly non-plussed, and Alloway seemed sullen, brooding.
"Jennie," whispered Duane, "that was clever of Mrs. Bland.
We'll keep up the deception. Any day now be ready!"She pressed close to him, and a barely audible "Hurry!" came breathing into his ear.
"Good night, Jennie," he said, aloud. "Hope you feel better to-morrow."Then he stepped out into the moonlight and spoke. Bland returned the greeting, and, though he was not amiable, he did not show resentment.
"Met Jasper as I rode in," said Bland, presently. "He told me you made Bill Black mad, and there's liable to be a fight. What did you go off the handle about?"Duane explained the incident. "I'm sorry I happened to be there," he went on. "It wasn't my business.""Scurvy trick that 'd been," muttered Bland. "You did right.
All the same, Duane, I want you to stop quarreling with my men.
If you were one of us--that'd be different. I can't keep my men from fighting. But I'm not called on to let an outsider hang around my camp and plug my rustlers.""I guess I'll have to be hitting the trail for somewhere," said Duane.
"Why not join my band? You've got a bad start already, Duane, and if I know this border you'll never be a respectable citizen again. You're a born killer. I know every bad man on this frontier. More than one of them have told me that something exploded in their brain, and when sense came back there lay another dead man. It's not so with me. I've done a little shooting, too, but I never wanted to kill another man just to rid myself of the last one. My dead men don't sit on my chest at night. That's the gun-fighter's trouble. He's crazy. He has to kill a new man--he's driven to it to forget the last one.""But I'm no gun-fighter," protested Duane. "Circumstances made me--""No doubt," interrupted Bland, with a laugh. "Circumstances made me a rustler. You don't know yourself. You're young;you've got a temper; your father was one of the most dangerous men Texas ever had. I don't see any other career for you.
Instead of going it alone--a lone wolf, as the Texans say--why not make friends with other outlaws? You'll live longer."Euchre squirmed in his seat.
"Boss, I've been givin' the boy egzactly thet same line of talk. Thet's why I took him in to bunk with me. If he makes pards among us there won't be any more trouble. An' he'd be a grand feller fer the gang. I've seen Wild Bill Hickok throw a gun, an' Billy the Kid, an' Hardin, an' Chess here--all the fastest men on the border. An' with apologies to present company, I'm here to say Duane has them all skinned. His draw is different. You can't see how he does it."Euchre's admiring praise served to create an effective little silence. Alloway shifted uneasily on his feet, his spurs jangling faintly, and did not lift his head. Bland seemed thoughtful.
"That's about the only qualification I have to make me eligible for your band," said Duane, easily.
"It's good enough," replied Bland, shortly. "Will you consider the idea?""I'll think it over. Good night."