Plain Mary Smith

s way. I didn't know where to find him; there was no us

they ducked, parried, got away, cut and come again with a quickness and a savageness that lifted my hair. Jeeminy! There was spirit in that row! And not

down on his back, striking his head and his

own and helpless, I broke the silence and the peace at one and the same instant. The mouse-colored horse b

ith me," and I slapped his black face to a blister. He tried to g

my victim down against the saddle with my left hand-Lord! how he squawked!-and drew my gun with the right. "Take either way that suits you,

m against the saddl

king chap, in spite of a big scar across his face and t

?or," says he, "me aleg

ak English. I wouldn't have cut in if they hadn't played it crooked o

ys he, "I th-thank ju. Eef you weel so

cool as he would a light for his ciga

says he, "he

row him. "Run, you fool!" I says, and he

uld start after him. I got the

nd, Se?or," says he, wit

ump me-I can't stand for a man being

you have made the foolish thing," he says. "There ees a man who ees to be keeled

ose you're right, but my ideas

t of so many years, but of the heart strong and the arm stronger-you play with that

Saunders," says I, "

emember. Here is Antonio Ori?

dn't we better be walking along

rs. "I am used to eet-still, I go. T

out?" I asked, my ki

answers, smiling so pleasant there was n

t-it's a promise I made." (Oh, the vanity

says, "believe me, I have reason

business. The lull from the fight had

by the name of Sa

y look, "Arthur Saxton-tall-grand

t's

side," waving his left hand, "you see

to find that Sax had

I, and swung

sed a hand

"Bin' opp my wounds!" he laughed. "By-by,

He called after me, "Eef you

n!" I says, and swin

rabbit-hole. I rubbed my eyes. Somehow the last thing I expected to see Sax was a storekeeper. I slipped up and put my hands on his shoulders to surprise

get himself into, that of a playful friendly fit gone wrong

irly cool, as really I hadn't done an

, and the old, kind smile came, taking

e gave me a slap on the back and I let her flicker at that-always willing to take a friend's

ed at him and backed away a little. "Startled me!" he says. "What nonsen

ould talk. I, dumb-struck, answered somehow, w

ng a string of questions at me and away before I could answer the half of them, as if

hints and the other part kept up a wondering why and wh

ursing. I never heard anything like it. He cursed the flour, the man that dropped it,

s jaws worked hard; he got back

l," he said. "Besides, there's lot

o let out the strain. A person's wits will outfoot his judgment sometim

ighbors think. Them you can handle. But the man that rules himself generally finds it quite different from being the lady boss of an old woman's home. Just because he's fit to rule, he'll rebel, and he'll scrap with himself till they put a stone up, marking the place of a drawn battle. But the neighbors won't know it. They'll envy him the dead easy time he had, or get mad when

t he had to say. He laughed a great deal, too, and when the laugh passed a

le man came up-a Span

hand I felt more cheerful. You kn

ner in the business. "Perez puts up the money and t

speak in that way?" says Per

s Sax, sharp. "You've made an asylum for

ed the subj

in the country. We were talking along when Saxton interrupted us. "We'

. Saxton called a boy and ordered brandy. When it came he grabbed the bott

e wanted that drink. It was the one thing he did want in the world,

, and his lower jaw trembled with eager

than anything I'd seen so far. "The good old truck that you Spaniards moll

He stirred the red sugar in the bottom of his glass. "

friends, I hop

ope

rent fits showed in his eye, but the hurry of

ou where the expression came from, because the man kept his muscles in an iron grip. There wasn't a droop of the mout

ck again w

s he, noticing my glass. It was not A

rages-I expect to find it full of red peppers. Lor

my attempt a

you drink

promised Ma

ame was too much. He

s, light enough on the outside, bu

y word,"

ickly across at

s like the rest of

" says I, "but not l

d. "I am again glad to have

e table such a push it landed on its back against the wall. "I hate to b

-for two weeks, day and night, brandy, brandy, b

or action. "If you've anything to say about me, let me hear it-I yearn f

t white. "Arthur," he sai

dirty sneak who'd talk a

ho protected me, who took many a blow for my sake; when I was a young man, sick with la viruela, I had a frien

is right mind, nothing an Apache invented would have forced Arthur Saxton to do such a thing-no fear

bed hi

me bang in the eye. Saxton was a strong man, weakened

ound and slammed

It was a revolver in the hands of Perez. "

old of me. It doesn't matter whether a thing is wise or not-in fact, you never

g Saxton, Perez holding me-just that little, cold

rvous, Mr. Perez?" s

nd of befuzzled. "N

o see how hard that trigger pulls, or you'll

ou of the man you once was, get your friend

or Arthur Saxton by slamming him down on the floor than the doctors and preachers could have brought about in ten years. He went down hard, mind

ll," he went on, "if it's reformation you're after, I don't need it." He laughed up

e we'd just been through, set me to sniveling-darn it, I was exci

" says I, "and s-spoil all

and we broke out into a laugh togethe

se shape and still be able to stand. Two weeks of a steady diet of French brandy o

. He brought something like what he ough

it is over. I reckon I'll try to live like a man, and as a start I'm going to tell you both what ails me-to have it out for once. So help me, it isn't for myself-it's for you, Henry. You've invested time and money in me, and you sha'n't lose it. If you kn