“Lawler an’ his gang had brought their hosses from Red Rock in two cars—­they’d sold some of the remuda in Red Rock, not carin’ to ship ’em home.  Anyways, the gang didn’t appear in no hurry to unload the hosses; an’ a trainman yells to them, sayin’ they’d have to hurry.

“But the boys was too interested just then.  ’Unload ’em yourself, you sufferin’ yap!’ yells Shorty.  ’If you pull out of here with them hosses I’ll blow your damned railroad over into the next county!’ Shorty sure does love the railroad!

“As I was sayin’ when you interrupted me:  Lawler looked mighty wicked.  But he’s cold an’ polite—­an’ ca’m.  An’ he escorts Antrim over to where Warden was standin’, an’ says, quiet an’ low: 

“Warden, I have brought back my vent.  He sure was a heap of trouble, an’ he got himself attached to us right close.  But as we haven’t got no further use for him we’re turnin’ him over to you.  I reckon he’s lookin’ to you an’ Singleton to pay him for the trouble of trailin’ us for two weeks, an’ for keepin’ me company as far as Red Rock, to see that my herd got there right an’ proper.  ‘Antrim,’ he says; ‘go to your boss!’ And he gives him a little shove toward Warden.

“Warden didn’t say nothin’—­he’d lost his voice, I reckon.  But Antrim goes off the handle complete.

“‘The damned sneak lifted my guns!’ he yells.

“‘You wantin’ a gun?’ says Lawler, cold an’ ca’m.  He backs up an’ lifts one of Shorty’s.  Then he walks close to Antrim an’ shoves it into his right hand.

“‘There’s a gun, you polecat,’ he says.  ’Fan it.  I’d admire to blow the gizzard outen you!’

“But Antrim didn’t seem to be none tickled, now that he’d got the gun.  He stood, lookin’ at it, like it was somethin’ strange an’ unusual, an’ he was wonderin’ whether he ought to hang onto it or drop it.  Finally he grins sorta sheepishlike, an’ hands it back to Lawler, butt first.

“‘I ain’t aimin’ to fight you today, Lawler,’ he says, his face bloomin’ like a cactus.

“Lawler laughs, an’ gives Shorty his gun back.  Shorty grins like a tiger.  ‘Mebbe Singleton wouldn’t mind acceptin’ your kind offer, Boss?’ he says.

“But Singleton don’t break his neck reachin’ for his gun, neither.  He stands there, lookin’ like a calf that’s lost its mother.  An’ then Lawler laughs again, an’ says: 

“‘Well, boys, seein’ that the reception committee has received us, an’ the honors has all been done, I reckon we’d better get the hosses off the cars an’ hit the breeze for home!’

“An’ they done so.  But before they went they smoked up the town considerable—­as you all seen.  Them boys had divided twenty-five thousand dollars between them, which Lawler give ’em for makin’ the drive.  An’ they sure did celebrate.  Except Lawler.  He went right home, an’ I ain’t seen him since.  But I reckon Warden an’ the rest of them ain’t had no regrets.  I ain’t never seen no mournfuller sight than them folks sneakin’ away from the station.  All but Della Wharton.  She was a-grinnin’ sorta slylike, as though somethin’ pleased her.”