ner.

"Well, you missed a good chance," said one of the men, as they moved
slowly toward the entrance to Pony Baxter's.

"How about you? If you ain't forgetting it was the first one of us
that seen him was to get him."

"And White-Eye, here, seen him first, when he crawled out of that rig.
If we'd 'a' gone up, instead of standin' here lettin' our feet git
cold--"

"He must 'a' had his roll with him," said Pino, one of White-Eye's
companions and incidentally a member of that inglorious legion, "The
Men Who Can't Come Back."

"'T ain't his roll I want," said White-Eye.

"Too dam' bad about you not wantin' his roll. Any time--"

"Any time you git The Spider's roll, you got to git him," asserted
another member of this nocturnal quartette, a man whose right arm and
shoulder sagged queerly.

"The Spider ain't no _kid_, neither,"--and White-Eye paused at the
dimly lighted stairway entrance.

The man with the deformed shoulder cursed White-Eye. The others
laughed.

"Let's go git a drink--and then we'll have a talk with Pony. Come on,
Steve."

They turned and drifted on up the street. Presently they were back at
the stairway entrance. "Pony won't stand for no rough stuff," advised
White-Eye as they turned and climbed the stair. "I'll do the talkin'."

"I reckon he'll stand for anything we hand him," said Pino. "Fancy
clothes don't cut any figure with me."

"Nobody that ever got a good look at you would say so," asserted
White-Eye. He paused at the head of the stairs. "I aim to find out
what The Spider wanted up here."

"Go to it!"--and Pino grinned.

As they entered the "office," Baxter was talking with his partner, with
whom he exchanged a significant glance as he realized who his visitors
were. The partner excused himself and stepped into the room beyond.

"Well, boys, what can I do for you?" Baxter's manner was suavely
affable.

"We're lookin' for a friend," declared White-Eye.

"I don't think he's here." And Baxter smiled his professional smile.

"But he's been here," asserted White-Eye. "We ain't here to make a
noise. We jest want to know what The Spider was doin' up here a spell
ago."

"Oh, Jim? Why, he dropped in to shake hands. I hadn't seen him for
several years. Didn't know he was in town."

"Feed that soft stuff to the yearlins'," snarled White-Eye. "The
Spider ain't chousin' around El Paso for his health, or yours."

Baxter was about to say something when Pino stooped