was that I, in an ignorance which had not learned the valuable
art of general distrust, volunteered a remark for which my host, so soon
as we were alone, rebuked me sternly.

"Mrs. Marcus is mistaken as to that," I said. "Just as the volley was
fired, I recognized Curt Dawson."

The voice of Calloway Marcus again cut in with an interruption. "Oh, I
reckon you're mistaken about that, Mr. Deprayne. I understand Dawson is
across the Virginia line."

"I'm sure enough," I persisted, failing entirely to catch my host's
effort to silence me, "to swear to it in court."

"Mr. Deprayne is a stranger here," deprecated the lawyer. "He isn't
familiar enough with our people to be certain in these matters."

Again the doctor nodded and, taking up his saddle-bags, went out. As
soon as he had bidden him farewell, Marcus returned. He walked over and
stood before me with a face that was deeply troubled. Except for his
mother, too deaf to hear his low-pitched voice, and Weighborne, whose
initial unconsciousness had passed under medical administrations into a
profound sleep, we were alone.

"Sir," he said patiently, "I can't be angry with you because you don't
understand what you have done. Perhaps I should have warned you. I sent
for Richardson because he was the only doctor within many hours' riding,
but I don't confide in him. He will carry straight to Garvin your
announcement that you have recognized his gun-man. You have given away a
secret I might have used to great advantage. Sir, you have tremendously
complicated matters."

He dropped his hands at his sides with a weary gesture, half-despair.
"However, it's done now," he added, "it's no use to deplore it--but, for
God's sake, be more careful in the future."

When Weighborne recovered consciousness he spoke to me once more of his
wife. He was afraid that an exaggerated report of the affair would leak
through to the Lexington papers, and he wished to allay her anxiety. The
duty of this reassurance devolved on me, but the complicated system of
telephoning spared me the torture of felicitating her. The message was
relayed through disinterested voices before it reached her ears. As it
eventuated Weighborne's precaution was a wise one since the news
filtered that same night to a newspaper correspondent at the railroad
town. This scribe so well utilized his information that the papers of
the next morning carried scare-heads over a story of bloodshed and
massacre which accorded to