ining the affair, his stump of arm
lifting and pointing in the expressionless gestures common to a man thus
maimed.

"Are you hurt?" Lambert inquired.

"No, I ain't hurt none, Duke."

Taterleg got aboard of his horse with nothing more asked of him or
volunteered on his part. They had not proceeded far when his indignation
broke bounds.

"I ain't hurt, but I'm swinged like a fool miller moth in a lamp
chimley," he complained.

"Who was that shootin' around so darned careless?"

"Jedlick, dern him!"

"It's a wonder he didn't kill somebody upstairs somewhere."

"First shot he hit a box of t'backer back of Wood's counter. I don't
know what he hit the second time, but it wasn't me."

"He hit the side of the store."

Taterleg rode along in silence a little way. "Well, that was purty good
for him," he said.

"Who was that hopped a horse like he was goin' for the doctor, and tore
off?"

"Jedlick, dern him!"

Lambert allowed the matter to rest at that, knowing that neither of them
had been hurt. Taterleg would come to the telling of it before long,
not being built so that he could hold a piece of news like that without
suffering great discomfort.

"I'm through with that bunch down there," he said in the tone of deep,
disgustful renunciation. "I never was led on and soaked that way before
in my life. No, I ain't hurt, Duke, but it ain't no fault of that girl I
ain't. She done all she could to kill me off."

"Who started it?"

"Well, I'll give it to you straight, Duke, from the first word, and you
can judge for yourself what kind of a woman that girl's goin' to turn
out to be. I never would 'a' believed she'd 'a' throwed a man that way,
but you can't read 'em, Duke; no man can read 'em."

"I guess that's right," Lambert allowed, wondering how far he had read
in certain dark eyes which seemed as innocent as a child's.

"It's past the power of any man to do it. Well, you know, I went over
there with my fresh box of gum, all of the fruit flavors you can name,
and me and her we set out on the porch gabbin' and samplin' that gum.
She never was so leanin' and lovin' before, settin' up so clost to me
you couldn't 'a' put a sheet of writin' paper between us. Shucks!"

"Rubbin' the paint off, Taterleg. You ought 'a' took the tip that she
was about done with you."

"You're right; I would 'a' if I'd 'a' had as much brains as a ant. Well,
she told me Jedlick was layin' for me, and begged me not to hurt him,
for she