. Pete had drawn a chair to the window and was
sitting there, looking out as casually as though there was no danger
whatever.

"I thought you made your get-away," said Pete, turning. "I was jest
keepin' that hombre interested in watchin' me. Thought if he seen
somebody here he wouldn't make no quick move to follow you."

"So you figured I quit you, eh? And you go and set in that winda so
they'd think we was in the room here? And you done it to give me a
chanct? Well, you got me wrong. I stick."

"Then I reckon somebody's goin' to git hurt," said Pete, "for I'm goin'
to stick too."

Brevoort shook his head. "The first guy most like come over to ask the
boss who's up here in this room. The boss tells him about us. Now,
them coyotes sure would like it a heap better to git us out on the
street--from behind--than to run up against us holed up here, for they
figure somebody'll git hurt. Now you slip down that hall, easy, and
drop onto the shed under the winda and fan it down the alley back
there. You got a chanct. I sized up the layout."

"Nothin' doin'. Why don't you try it yourself?"

"'Cause they'll git one of us, anyhow, and it'll be the fella that
stays."

"Then I'll flip a dollar to see which stays," said Pete.

Before Brevoort could speak, Pete drew a dollar from his pocket and
flipped it toward his companion. It fell between them. "I say heads,"
said Pete. And he glanced at the coin, which showed tails. "The
dollar says you go, Ed. You want to git a-movin'!"

Brevoort hesitated; Pete rose and urged him toward the door. "So-long,
Ed. If you'd 'a' stayed we'd both got shot up. I'll set in the winda
so they'll think we 're both here."

"I'll try her," said Brevoort. "But I'd 'a' stayed--only I knowed you
wouldn't go. So-long, pardner." He pulled his gun and softly unlocked
the door. There was no one in the hall--and no one on the narrow
stairway to the right. He tiptoed to the window, climbed out, and let
himself down to the shed-roof. From the roof he dropped to the alley,
glanced round, and then ran.

Pete locked the door and went back to his chair in front of the window.
He watched the man in the restaurant, who had risen and waved his hand,
evidently acknowledging a signal from some one. It was the man Pete
had seen near the express office--there was no doubt about that. Pete
noticed that he was broad of shoulder, stocky, and wore a heavy gold
watch-chain. He disappeared w