His eyes glistened.  “I’ll not wear mournin’ none if it does just that.”

“I’m tellin’ you what it’ll do,” Doble insisted dogmatically.

“Shorty with you?”

“He was, an’ he wasn’t.  I did it while he wasn’t lookin’.  He was saddlin’ his horse in the brush.  Don’t make any breaks to him.  Shorty’s got a soft spot in him.  Game enough, but with queer notions.  Some time I’m liable to have to—­” Doble left his sentence suspended in air, but Steelman, looking into his bleak eyes, knew what the man meant.

“What’s wrong with him now, Dug?”

“Well, he’s been wrong ever since I had to bump off Tim Harrigan.  Talks about a fair break.  As if I had a chance to let the old man get to a gun.  No, I’m not so awful sure of Shorty.”

“Better watch him.  If you see him make any false moves—­”

Doble watched him with a taunting, scornful eye.

“What’ll I do?”

The other man’s gaze fell.  “Why, you got to protect yoreself, Dug, ain’t you?”

“How?”

The narrow shoulders lifted.  For a moment the small black eyes met those of the big man.

“Whatever way seems best to you, Dug,” murmured Steelman evasively.

Doble slapped his dusty hat against his thigh.  He laughed, without mirth or geniality.  “If you don’t beat Old Nick, Brad.  I wonder was you ever out an’ out straightforward in yore life.  Just once?”

“I don’t reckon you sure enough feel that way, Dug,” whined the older man ingratiatingly.  “Far as that goes, I’m not making any claims that I love my enemies.  But you can’t say I throw off on my friends.  You always know where I’m at.”

“Sure I know,” retorted Doble bluntly.  “You’re on the inside of a heap of rotten deals.  So am I. But I admit it and you won’t.”

“Well, I don’t look at it that way, but there’s no use arguin’.  What about that fire?  Sure it got a good start?”

“I looked back from across the valley.  It was travelin’ good.”

“If the wind don’t change, it will sure do a lot of damage to the Jackpot.  Liable to spoil some of Crawford’s range too.”

“I’ll take that thousand in cash, Brad,” the big man said, letting himself down into the easiest chair he could find and rolling a cigarette.

“Soon as I know it did the work, Dug.”

“I’m here tellin’ you it will make a clean-up.”

“We’ll know by mornin’.  I haven’t got the money with me anyhow.  It’s in the bank.”

“Get it soon as you can.  I expect to light out again pronto.  This town’s onhealthy for me.”

“Where will you stay?” asked Brad.

“With my friend Steelman,” jeered Doble.  “His invitation is so hearty I just can’t refuse him.”

“You’d be safer somewhere else,” said the owner of the house after a pause.

“We’ll risk that, me ‘n’ you both, for if I’m taken it’s liable to be bad luck for you too....  Gimme something to eat and drink.”