it his name right.
Mebbe he's traveling around incog.--ain't that the word?"

There was no mistaking the suggestion in the man's half-smiling,
half-sneering manner. The ranchman understood it only too well. He
understood most of the ways and expressions of the men of the prairie.
The hot blood surged under his calm exterior. His gray eyes, so
accustomed to smiling, snapped dangerously. But his reply came with
the same ease which he had displayed most of the time.

"Wal, I don't guess ther's no myst'ry 'bout either of us, which you
kind o' seem you'd like to think. Jeff Masters of the 'O----'s' is
well enough known to most folks, who got any sort o' knowledge of these
parts. An' ther's quite a few folks around here, including Dug
McFarlane, li'ble to remember the name of Bud Tristram, of the
'T.T.'s.' But you're sure right in guessin' he's in a hurry to quit.
Ther's some places, an' some folks, it ain't good to see a heap of.
Ther's fellers with minds like sinks, an' others with natures like
rattlers. Neither of them things is as wholesome as a Sunday-school, I
allow. Jeff ain't yearnin' to explore no sinks, human or any other.
An' I've generally noticed his favorite pastime is killin' rattlers.
So it's jest about the only thing to do--quit this saloon, same as I'm
goin' to do. But say, 'fore I go I'd jest like to hand you this.
Justice is justice, an' we all need to take our dope when it comes our
way. But ther' ain't no right on this blamed earth fer any feller to
whoop it up at another feller's misdoin's, an' his ultimate undoin'.
An' you kin take it how you fancy when I say only the heart of a louse
could feel that-a-way--an' that's about the lowest I know how to hand
you."

Bud's eyes were shining dangerously. They were squarely looking into
the hard face of the saloon-keeper. Not the movement of an eyelid
escaped him. He literally seemed to devour the unwholesome picture
confronting him. The aggressive chin beard, the continual mastication
of the cigar which protruded from the corner of the mouth. There was
deadly fury lurking behind Ju's cruel eyes. But the looked-for
physical display was withheld, and Bud finally turned and walked slowly
out of the bar.

* * * * * *

It was some minutes since a word had passed between the two men. Jeff
had nothing to say, and Bud's sympathy was too deep for words. He was
waiting for the younger man to fight his battle to its