e's got her own notion as to why she's made
friends with him. She's told me that she's goin' to make him a
character in the book she's writing. Likely she's stringing him."

"I reckon she ain't stringin' him," declared Leviatt. "A girl ain't
doin' much stringin' when she's holdin' a man's hand an' blushin' when
somebody ketches her at it."

There was a slight sneer in Leviatt's voice which drew a sharp glance
from Radford. For an instant his face clouded and he was about to make
a sharp reply. But his face cleared immediately and he smiled.

"I'm banking on her being able to take care of herself," he returned.
"Her holding Ferguson's hand proves nothing. Likely she was trying to
get an impression--she's always telling me that. But she's running her
own game, and if she is stringing Ferguson that's her business, and if
she thinks a good bit of him that's her business, too. If a man ain't
jealous, he might be able to see that Ferguson ain't a half bad sort of
a man."

An evil light leaped into Leviatt's eyes. He turned and faced Radford,
words coming from his lips coldly and incisively. "When you
interrupted me," he said, "I was goin' to tell your sister about
Ferguson. Mebbe if I tell you what I was goin' to tell her it'll make
you see things some different. A while ago Stafford was wantin' to
hire a gunfighter." He shot a significant glance at Radford, who
returned it steadily. "I reckon you know what he wanted a gunfighter
for. He got one. His name's Ferguson. He's gettin' a hundred dollars
a month for the season, to put Ben Radford out of business!"

The smile had gone from Radford's face; his lips were tightly closed,
his eyes cold and alert.

"You lying about Ferguson because you think he's friendly with Mary?"
he questioned quietly.

Leviatt's right hand dropped swiftly to his holster. But Radford
laughed harshly. "Quit it!" he said sharply. "I ain't sayin' you're a
liar, but what you've said makes you liable to be called that until
you've proved you ain't. How do you know Ferguson's been hired to put
me out of business?"

Leviatt laughed. "Stafford an' me went to Dry Bottom to get a
gunfighter. I shot a can in the street in front of the Silver Dollar
so's Stafford would be able to get a line on anyone tryin' to beat my
game. Ferguson done it an' Stafford hired him."

Radford's gaze was level and steady. "Then you've knowed right along
that he was lookin' for me," he said coldly.