east just then who followed or how many ... so that
they left him to ride on ahead....

It was straight into the town of Dead Man's Alley that the Kid's way
led. The high sun glared down into a deserted street when he and Buck
Thornton, a hundred yards behind him, passed by the Here's How saloon
and the Brown Bear and at last drew rein at Henry Pollard's gate. A
couple of men at the lunch counter stared curiously after the Kid; they
even got down hastily from their high stools and stared more curiously
still when they saw who it was who followed.

"They've rode hard, them two," said one of the men thoughtfully. "Their
horses is all in."

"The Kid ahead an' Buck Thornton followin'!" grunted the other musingly.
"An' the Kid never lookin' around!"

He shook his head and, long after both of the riders had passed out of
sight down the crooked street these two men looked after them
wonderingly.

At Pollard's gate the Kid dismounted stiffly. Now for the first time
Thornton came up to him.

"If you think Broderick's in there," he said sharply, "you'd better let
me go ahead. You're in no shape, Bedloe...."

"You go to hell," said Bedloe heavily. "He's mine."

He stepped forward and pulled open the gate. Here he paused just long
enough to drag his revolver from the holster at his hip. With the weapon
in his hand, swaying in his long-strided walk, he went to Pollard's
front door. Just behind him, almost at his heels, came Thornton.

As he tried the door cautiously the Kid looked over his shoulder with a
show of teeth.

"He's mine," he snarled again. "You keep your hands off."

Thornton offered no answer. The Kid, having ascertained that the door
was locked, drew back, steadied himself with his hand against the wall,
lifted his foot and with all of the power in him drove his heavy boot
against the lock. Something broke; the panel splintered; the door gave
a little. But only a little; the heavy bar which Henry Pollard used was
in its place.

"Again," said Thornton. "Together!... Quick!"

So together Buck Thornton and Kid Bedloe, two men who had long hated
each other, struck savagely at Pollard's barricade. And such was the
weight of the two men, such the power resident in the two big bodies,
that a hinge gave and after it an iron socket screwed to the wall was
torn away from the woodwork, and the door went down.

Gathering all there was of strength left in him Kid Bedloe pushed to the
fore and went down the hall; a