'll need to do is to wait in a room where I'll hide you
until he gets into a meller mood--I know him well--an' then I'll bring
him to you an' you make a plea for him. You can be his wife or his
mother or daughter--or anything you wish."

"I'll go," sez she, in a quiet tone, an' I breathed free; an' as soon
as she opened the door I dragged the two men inside. They were
Greasers, the same as the old woman what had first talked to me; an' I
turned 'em over to her a' took the woman with the soft voice down to
the train by a back street. She still wore a heavy veil, an' I never
looked at her--not right straight--but I could see that she walked with
her feet an' held her head on the top of her neck; so I was purty
certain that if Dick did return an' try to finish the weddin' as the
star performer she'd give us an interestin' exhibition.

Spider Kelley was at the station when I got off the train. I turned the
woman over to him, tellin' him to bring her out so as to arrive the
evenin' of the weddin', not to talk to her, an' not to let Dick see her
should he chance to come back that way; but to smuggle her into the
office as soon as preparations for the ceremony got started. I still
half looked for Dick, but I thought I had things blocked out, no matter
what turned up, an' I flopped on my hoss an' rode him at about his best.

Everything around the house was whirlin' with preparation; but Barbie
was about the palest lookin' bride 'at ever got ready to toe the
scratch, I reckon. The Hawthorn critter had stayed over at his own
ranch for the last week, an' Barbie wouldn't 'a' had no search-warrant
swore out if he had sent over word that it looked so good to him that
he had decided to continue to remain there for a million years.

The guests had arrived plenty early, an' whenever Barbie would stumble
on to a bunch of 'em she would head up an' get right rompy again. We
had about a ton o' stuff cooked, 'cause we was tol'able thoroughly
experienced on the neighbors. Folks out our way ain't nowise uppity
about such matters. All you need to do is to hint that a little
celebration is goin' to be pulled off an' you can count on their
presence; an' if so be 'at you've forgot anybody's invite, why like as
not they'll hear about it anyway an' be on hand in plenty o' time. The
weddin' was scheduled for Wednesday evenin' at eight thirty; but by
Sunday the house was full an' the grounds looked like an Injun
camp-meetin'.

Jabez, intended to