his _girl's_ safe!" The leader paused and allowed his
eyes to travel slowly over the faces of his five companions, "That
goes--an' whatever else I say goes." And Purdy, watching narrowly from
the corner of his eye, saw that, of the other four only Bill's eyes
stood Grimshaw's gaze unflinching, and in the dim shadow his lips
twisted into a sardonic grin. What Purdy did not see was that Grimshaw
had seen exactly what he saw, and not only that, he had seen Purdy's
smile, but with a perfectly impassive face, the leader spread his
blanket and stretched himself upon the floor.

CHAPTER XV

PURDY MAKES A RIDE

Purdy's altercation with Grimshaw occurred on the night Alice Endicott
and the Texan spent on the river. A raid on a bunch of Flying A mares
had been planned for the following night, and early in the morning
Grimshaw and the man called Bill, pulled out to the northward to locate
the mares, while the other outlaws separated to skirmish the surrounding
country and make sure that the coast was clear. Purdy's patrol took him
into the vicinity of Red Sand Creek, and as he rode the outlaw smiled
grimly: "Grimshaw's busted," he muttered, "this one job an' he's
through. It'll be the Purdy gang, then--an', believe me, we ain't goin'
to stop at runnin' off a few head of horses. This country's lousy with
money, just layin' around for someone to reach out an' take it--an' I'm
the bird c'n do it! They'll be four of us, an' that's a-plenty. We'll
clean up the Wolf River bank, an' the Zortman gold stage, an' the
Lewiston bank, an' a train or two--then it's me for South America--an'
to hell with 'em all!" He pulled up abruptly and sat gazing down upon
the buildings of McWhorter's ranch. The cabin door opened, a woman
stepped out, emptied a pan of dishwater, and entered the cabin again.
"So, my pretty," sneered the man, "you carry yer nose high. Yer too good
for a horse-thief, eh? If you had your way McWhorter would have a posse
camped on the ranch till they'd wiped us out. Guess I'll just slip down
an' give you one more chanct. When Purdy's boss of the gang you won't be
so damn _safe_! I ain't afraid of losin' no friends. Friends never got
me nothin'. Damn the nesters! There won't be no deals when I'm runnin'
the gang. It'll be every man for himself an' the devil take the
hindmost. If a nester's got anything I want I'll reach out an' take
it--nesters, or banks, or railroads--they all look alike to me. An' if
McWhorter's huzz