ep away from Mrs. Montoyo. Went so far as to lay claim
to her himself, the whelp. Boasted of it."

"Throwed it in your face, did he? Wall, you goin' to let him cache her
away?"

"Look here," I said desperately, still a-tremble: "Why do you men put that
up to me? Why do you egg me on to interfere? She's no more to me than she
is to you. Damn it, I'll take care of myself but I don't see why I should
shoulder her, except that she's a woman and I won't see any woman
mistreated."

He pulled his whiskers, and grinned.

"Dunno jest how fur you're elected. Looks like there was something between
you and her--though I don't say for shore. But she's your kind; she may be
a leetle devil, but she's your kind--been eddicated and acts the lady. She
ain't our kind. Thunderation! What'd we do with her? She'd be better off
marryin' Dan'l. He'd give her a home. If you hadn't been with this train I
don't believe she'd have follered in. That's the proposition. You got to
fight him anyway; he's set out to back you down. It's your fracas, isn't
it?"

"I know it," I admitted. "He's been ugly toward me from the first, without
reason."

"Reckoned to amuse himself. He's one o' them fellers that think to show
off by ridin' somebody they think they can ride. The boys hate to see you
lay down to that; for you'd better call him and eat lead or else quit the
country. So you might as well give him a full dose and take the pot."

"What pot?"

"The woman, o' course."

"I tell you, Mrs. Montoyo has nothing to do with it, any more than any
woman. It's a matter between him and me--he began it by jeering at me
before she appeared. I want her left out of it."

"Oh, pshaw!" Jenks scoffed. "That can't be did. He's fetched her into it.
What do you aim to do, then? Dodge her? When you're dodgin' her you're
dodgin' him, or so he'll take it."

"I'll not dodge him, you can bet on that," I vowed. "I don't seek her, nor
him; but I shall not go out of my way to avoid either of them."

"And when you give him his dose, what'll you do?"

"If that is forced upon me, nothing. It will be in defense of my rights,
won't it? But I don't want any further trouble with him. I hope to God I
won't have."

"Shore," Jenks soothed. "You're not a killer. All the same, you're
elected; he began it and you'll have to finish it. Then you'll needs look
out for yourself and her too, for he's made her the stakes."

"Why will I?"

"Got to. The hull train thinks so, one way