She recognized the rough half
contemptuous voice of Hod Blake. And the next instant she thought of the
roar of guns, the acrid smell of burned powder, and the thin red streaks
of flame that had pierced the night like swift arrows of blood. They
would kill him. "He's the best man among them all," she sobbed, and
closing her eyes, held the candle at arms length before her, and walked
slowly toward the black opening at the end of the plank screen.

There was a crashing report. Alice opened her eyes--in darkness. "Tex!"
she cried, frantically, "Tex, strike a light!"

CHAPTER VI

AT THE RED FRONT

When Ike Stork had disappeared through the door of the Red Front
dragging the unconscious form of the bartender with him, the Texan
poured himself a drink, set a quart bottle before him upon the bar,
rummaged in a drawer and produced a box of cartridges which he placed
conveniently to hand, reloaded his guns, and took another drink.

A report sounded in the street and a bullet crashed through the window
and buried itself in a beer keg. The Texan laughed: "Fog 'er up, ol'
hand, an' here's yer change!" Reaching over the top of a keg, he sent a
bullet through the window. The shot drew a volley from the street, and
the big mirror behind the bar became a jangle of crashing glass.

"Barras'll have to get him a new lookin' glass," he opined, as he shook
the slivers from his hat brim. "The war's on--an' she's a beaut! If ol'
Santa Anna was here, him an' I could lick the world! This red licker
sure is gettin' to my head--stayed off of it too long--but I'm makin' up
for lost time. Whoopee!"

"Oh, I'm a Texas cowboy,
Far away from home,
If I ever get back to Texas
I never more will roam."

"Hey, in there!" The song ceased abruptly, and, gun in hand the Texan
answered.

"There ain't no hay in here! What do you think this is, a cow's hotel?
The livery barn's next door!"

"They ain't no outlaw goin' to run Timber City while I'm marshal!"

"Put 'er here, pardner!" answered the Texan. "You run Timber City an'
I'll run the Red Front! Come on in an' buy a drink, so I can get my
change!"

"You're arrested fer disturbin' the peace!"

"Come an' get me, then. But come a-shootin'!"

"You can't git away with it. I got twenty men here, an' everyone packin'
a gun!"

"You've got me, then," mocked the Texan. "I've only got two guns. Run
'em in in a bunch. I can only take care of a dozen, an' the rest can get
m