thet ever stacked
up against this outfit. An' straight-off he wins the outfit. I don't
know how he done it. Mebbe it was because you seen he didn't care fer
anythin' or anybody on earth. He stirred us up. He won all the money we
had in camp--broke most of us--an' give it all back. He drank more'n the
whole outfit, yet didn't get drunk. He threw his gun on Beady Jones
fer cheatin' an' then on Beady's pard, Chick Williams. Didn't shoot to
kill--jest winged 'em. But say, he's the quickest and smoothest hand to
throw a gun thet ever hit this border. Don't overlook thet.... Kells,
this Jim Cleve's a great youngster goin' bad quick. An' I'm here to add
that he'll take some company along."

"Bate, you forgot to tell how he handled Luce," said Red Pearee. "You
was there. I wasn't. Tell Kells that."

"Luce. I know the man. Go ahead, Bate," responded Kells.

"Mebbe it ain't any recommendation fer said Jim Cleve," replied Wood.
"Though it did sorta warm me to him.... Boss, of course, you recollect
thet little Brander girl over at Bear Lake village. She's old Brander's
girl--worked in his store there. I've seen you talk sweet to her myself.
Wal, it seems the old man an' some of his boys took to prospectin' an'
fetched the girl along. Thet's how I understood it. Luce came bracin' in
over at Cabin Gulch one day. As usual, we was drinkin' an' playin'. But
young Cleve wasn't doin' neither. He had a strange, moody spell thet
day, as I recollect. Luce sprung a job on us. We never worked with him
or his outfit, but mebbe--you can't tell what'd come off if it hadn't
been for Cleve. Luce had a job put up to ride down where ole Brander was
washin' fer gold, take what he had--AN' the girl. Fact was the gold was
only incidental. When somebody cornered Luce he couldn't swear there was
gold worth goin' after. An' about then Jim Cleve woke up. He cussed Luce
somethin' fearful. An' when Luce went for his gun, natural-like, why
this Jim Cleve took it away from him. An' then he jumped Luce. He
knocked an' threw him around an' he near beat him to death before we
could interfere. Luce was shore near dead. All battered up--broken
bones--an' what-all I can't say. We put him to bed an' he's there yet,
an' he'll never be the same man he was."

A significant silence fell upon the group at the conclusion of Wood's
narrative. Wood had liked the telling, and it made his listeners
thoughtful. All at once the pale face of Kells turned slightly toward
Gulden