d knows--that de Spain and Nan Morgan have
fastened up to each other for the long ride down the dusty trail
together. That, I take it, is their business. But her uncle, old
Duke, and Gale, and the whole bunch, I hear, turned dead sore on it,
and have fixed it up to beat them. You all know the Morgans. They're
some bunch--and they stick for one another like hornets, and all hold
together in a fight. So I don't want any man to ride in there with me
thinking he's going to a wedding. He isn't. He may or may not be going
to a funeral, but he's _not_ going to a shivaree."

Frank Elpaso glanced sourly at his companions. "I guess everybody here
is wise, John."

"I know _you_ are, Frank," retorted Lefever testily; "that's all
right. I'm only explaining. And I don't want _you_ to get sore on me
if I _don't_ show you a fight." Frank Elpaso grunted. "I am under
orders." John waved his hand. "And I can't do anything----"

"But talk," growled Frank Elpaso, not waving his hand.

Lefever started hotly forward in his saddle. "Now look here, Frank."
He pointed his finger at the objecting ranger. "I'm here for business,
not for pleasure. Any time I'm free you can talk to me----"

"Not till somebody gags you, John," interposed Elpaso moodily.

"Look here, Elpaso," demanded Lefever, spurring his horse smartly
toward the Texan, "are you looking for a fight with me right here and
now?"

"Yes, here and now," declared Elpaso fiercely.

"Or, there and then," interposed Kennedy, ironically, "some time,
somewhere, or no time, nowhere. Having heard all of which, a hundred
and fifty times from you two fellows, let us have peace. You've pulled
it so often, over at Sleepy Cat, they've got it in double-faced,
red-seal records. Let's get started."

"Right you are, Farrell," assented Lefever, "but----"

"Second verse, John. You're boss here; what are we going to do? That's
all we want to know."

"Henry's orders were to wait here till ten o'clock this morning.
There's been firing inside twice since twelve o'clock last night. He
told me to pay no attention to that. But if the whole place hadn't
been under water all night, I'd have gone in, anyway. This last time
it was two high-powered guns, picking at long range and, if I'm any
judge of rifles and the men probably behind them, some one must have
got hurt. It's all a guess--but I'm going in there, peaceably if I
can, to look for Henry de Spain; if we are fired on--we've got to
fight for it. A