“Where’d you learn to shoot?” he asked abruptly.

“I never learned.  Until tonight I never had a pistol in my hand.”

“You done damned well—­to start out with,” commented the Texan dryly.

“But, oh, it’s horrible!” sobbed the girl, “and it’s all my fault!”

“I reckon that’s right.  It looks like a bad mix-up all around.”

“Oh, why didn’t you tell me what a beast he was?  You knew all the time.  And when you insulted him I thought you were horrid!  And I thought he was so noble when he refrained from shooting you.”

“No.  He wasn’t noble, none noticeable—­Purdy wasn’t.  An’ as for me tellin’ you about him—­answer me square:  Would you have believed me?”

The girl’s eyes fell before his steady gaze.

“No,” she faltered, “I wouldn’t.  But isn’t there something we can do?  Some way out of this awful mess?”

The Texan’s eyes flashed a glint of daring.  He was thinking rapidly.  Endicott moved his horse closer to the cowboy.  “Can’t you manage to get her away—­onto a train some place so she can avoid the annoyance of having to testify at the trial, and submit to the insulting remarks of your sheriff?”

The girl interrupted him:  “Winthrop Adams Endicott, if you dare to even think such a thing—­I’ll never speak to you again!  Indeed he won’t take me away or put me on any train!  I got you into this, and I won’t budge one inch until you get out of it.  What do I care for a little annoyance—­and as for the sheriff, I’ll say ‘boo’ at him in the dark and he’ll die.”

There was a gleam of approval in the eyes of the Texan as his lips twisted into their peculiar cynical smile.  “Spunky little devil,” he thought to himself.  “There’s a chance to pull a play here somewhere that’ll make me solid with her all right.  I got to have time to think.”  Aloud he said:  “Just you leave things to me.  I’ll get a line on what’s what.  But you both got to do as I say, an’ no augerin’ about it neither.  It looks from here as if things could be straightened out if someone don’t go to work an’ ball the jack.  An’ as for Sam passin’ insultin’ remarks no more—­he won’t.  Here he comes now with about half Wolf River for a posse.”  The cowboy turned to Endicott:  “You go ’long with ’em an’ lay low ’til you hear from Bat, there, or me.  Then you do as we say, an’ don’t ask no questions.”

The rumble of horses’ feet sounded from the direction of the little town and the Texan whispered to Bat:  “Find out where they lock him up.  An’ when the excitement dies down you find me.  I ain’t a-goin’ to lose sight of her—­see.”  The half-breed grinned his understanding and Tex swung his horse in close beside the girl and awaited the coming of the posse.

With a yell the onrushing cowboys whom the deputy had recruited from the dance-hall spied the little group and, thundering up at full gallop, formed a closely packed circle about them.  Recognizing the deputy who was vociferously urging his horse from the rear, Tex forced his way through the circle and called him aside.