In the distance she could hear the others laughing—they
understood such a game as this, and enjoyed it with
all their hearts. Ah, the fools!
He held her lightly, his fingertips under her elbows.
For all the delicacy of that touch, she knew that
if she attempted to flee, the grip would be iron.
He would hold her where she was until he was through
talking to her.
“Don’t you see what I’ve done?”
he was saying rapidly. “You wanted to drive
me out last night. You said I didn’t fit—that
I didn’t belong up here. Well, Kate, I
started out today to make myself fit to belong to
this company of fine fellows.”
He laughed a little; if it were not real mirth, at
least there was a fierce quality of joy in his voice.
“You see, I decided that if I went away I’d
be lonely. Particularly, I’d be lonely
as the devil, Kate, for you!”
“You’ve murdered to make yourself one—of
us?”
“Tush, Kate. You exaggerate entirely.
Do you know what I’ve really done? Why,
I’ve wakened; I’ve come to my senses.
After all, there was no other place for me to go.
I tried the world of good, ordinary working people.
I asked them to let me come in and prove my right
to be one of them. They discharged me when I
worked honestly on the range. They sent their
professional gunmen and bullies after me. And
then—I reached the limit of my endurance,
Kate, and I struck back. And the mockery of it
all is this—that though they have struck
me repeatedly and I have endured it, I—having
struck back a single time—am barred from
among them forever. Let it be so!”
“Hush, Terry. I—I’m going
to think of ways!”
“You couldn’t. Last night—yes.
Today I’m a man—and I’m free.
And freedom is the sweetest thing in the world.
There’s no place else for me to go. This
is my world. You’re my queen. I’ve
won my spurs; I’ll use them in your service,
Kate.”
“Stop, Terry!”
“By the Lord, I will, though! I’m
happy—don’t you see? And I’m
going to be happier. I’m going to work
my way along until I can tell you—that I
love you, Kate—that you’re the daintiest
body of fire and beauty and temper and gentleness
and wisdom and fun that was ever crowned with the
name of a woman. And—”
But under the rapid fire of his words there was a
touch of hardness— mockery, perhaps.
She drew back, and he stepped instantly aside.
She went by him through the door with bowed head.
And Terry, closing it after her, heard the first sob.
It was as if a gate which had hitherto been closed
against him in the Pollard house were now opened.
They no longer held back from Terry, but admitted
him freely to their counsels. But the first person
to whom he spoke was Slim Dugan. There was a
certain nervousness about Slim this evening, and a
certain shame. For he felt that in the morning,
to an extent, he had backed down from the quarrel
with young Black Jack. The killing of Larrimer
now made that reticence of the morning even more pointed
than it had been before. With all these things
taken into consideration, Slim Dugan was in the mood
to fight and die; for he felt that his honor was concerned.
A single slighting remark to Terry, a single sneering
side glance, would have been a signal for gunplay.
And everyone knew it.
