his heart had been drenched with ice water. Houck was
here then. Already.

"No, I--I don't carry a gun," he replied, weakly.

"Here's mine. Shoots just a mite high, but she's a good old friend." Dud
pressed a six-shooter on Dillon.

The boy took it reluctantly. The blood in his veins ran cold. "I dunno. I
reckon mebbe I better not. If I talked to him, don't you think--?"

"Talk, hell! He's out for blood, that guy is. He's made his brags right
over the bar at Dolan's what all he's gonna do to you. I'm no gunman,
understand. But a fellow's got to look out for number one. I'd let him
have it soon as I seen him. Right off the reel."

"Would you?"

"Surest thing you know. He's a bad actor, that fellow is."

"If I went to the marshal--"

Dud's eye held derision. "What good'd that do? Simp ain't gonna draw
cards _till after some one's been gunned_. He don't claim to be no
mind-reader, Simp don't."

"I'm not lookin' for trouble," Bob began to explain.

"Fellow, it's lookin' for you," cut in Dud. "You hold that gun right
under yore coat, an' when you meet up with Mr. Hook or whoever he is,
don't you wait to ask 'What for?' Go to fannin'."

Bob rejoined June. His lips were bloodless. He felt a queer weakness in
the knees.

"What did he want?" asked June.

"Houck's here--lookin' for me," the wretched boy explained.

"What's that you've got under yore coat?" she demanded quickly.

"It's a--a gun. He made me take it. Said Houck was tellin' how he'd--do
for me."

The fear-filled eyes of the boy met the stricken ones of his bride. She
knew now what she had before suspected and would not let herself
believe.

If it was possible she must help him to avoid a meeting with Houck. She
could not have him shamed. Her savage young pride would not permit the
girl to mate with one who proved himself a coward at a crisis of his
life. It was necessary to her self-respect that she save his.

"We'd better go back to the hotel," she said. "You can stay in our room,
and I'll send for Jake an' talk with him downstairs."

"I don't reckon I'd better do that," Bob protested feebly. "He
might--hurt you. No tellin'."

June ignored this. "Did you hear whether Dad's with him?" she asked.

"No."

"Where is Jake?"

"He was at Dolan's drinking when that Dud Hollister seen him."

"I'll have him come right away--before he's had too much. Dad says he
used to be mean when he was drinkin'."

The hotel was in the same block as Dolan's