His hand moved
a few inches toward it. Then it stopped. Goliday hesitated. Face to
face with the show-down, he was afraid.

"Well," the ranchman's words came slowly, "what do yuh want with me?"

"I want yo'," said The Kid in a voice ringing like a sledge on solid
steel, "fo' the murdah of the ownah of the S Bar!"

"Bah!" sneered Goliday, but a strange look crossed his dark eyes. His
legs were trembling a little, either from excitement or nervousness.

"Yo're loco," he added. "My men are in town or I'd have yuh rode off
of my place on a rail!"

"Goliday," snapped Kid Wolf crisply, "the man who shot Thomas down,
wore low-heeled, square-toed boots."

"Yuh can't convict a man on that," replied the ranchman with a forced
laugh.

"No?" The Kid drawled. "Well, that isn't all. The man who fired the
death shot used a very peculiah revolvah--very peculiar. The caliber
was .45. Wait a moment--a .45 with unusual riflin'."

"Yo're crazy," said Goliday, but his face was pale.

"By examinin' the cahtridge," continued the Texan in a dangerous voice,
"I found that the fatal gun had five grooves and five lands. The usual
six-shootah has six grooves and six lands. Let me see yo' gun, sah!"

The command came like a whip-crack and little drops of perspiration
stood out suddenly on Goliday's ashen forehead.

"It's a lie," he stammered. "I----"

"Yo' had bettah confess, Goliday. The game's up. Majah Stovah died
early this mohnin' from heart trouble. Goliday, yo' can do just two
things. The choice is up to yo'.'"

"The choice?" repeated the rancher mechanically.

"Yes, yo' can surrendah--and in that case, I'll turn yo' ovah to the
nearest law, if it's a thousand miles away. Or--yo' can shoot it out
with me heah and now. It's up to yo'."

"Yuh wanted to see my gun," said Goliday, with a sudden, deadly laugh.
"All right, I'll show yuh what's in it!"

Like a flash his hairy right hand shot down toward the ivory-handled
Colt.

The ranchman's hand touched the handle before Kid Wolf made even a move
toward his own weapons. Goliday's eager, fear-accelerated fingers
snapped the hammer back. The gun slid half out of its holster as he
tipped it up.

There was a noise in the little adobe like a thunderclap! A red pencil
of flame streaked out between the two men. Then the smoke rolled out,
dense and choking. _Thud!_ A gun dropped to the hard, dirt floor.

Goliday groped out with his two empty hands for sup