from hell--beggin' yer pardon, mom--I didn't aim to swear--but, them
Texicans--when they gits lickered up. I'd sooner try to handle a
oncontented grizzly----"

"Texan!" cried the girl. "Did you say he is a Texan? Who is he? What's
his name?"

The man regarded her gravely: "Seems to me he did say--back there in the
saloon, when he was holdin' kangaroo court. The rookus hadn't started
yet, an' he says----"

Alice had thrown herself from her horse, and stood before the man, the
wild flowers clutched tightly in her hand. "Was it Tex?" she
interrupted, impatiently.

The man nodded: "Yeh, it was Tex----"

"Tex Benton?"

The man scratched at his head: "Seems like that's what he said. Anyways,
he claimed he was here a year ago, an' he aimed to git drunk on account
of some kind of an anniversary, or somethin'--an' he will, too, if he
drinks up all them fines----"

Alice interrupted by clutching the man's arm and shaking it vigorously.
"Oh, tell them to stop shooting!" she cried. "They'll kill him! Let me
go in to him! I can reason with him."

The man regarded her with sudden interest: "D'you know him?"

"Yes, yes! Hurry and tell them to stop shooting!"

"You wait here a minute, an' I'll git Hod Blake, he's the marshal." The
man disappeared and a moment later came toward her with another man, the
two followed by a goodly part of the crowd.

The tall man stepped to the girl's side: "This here's Hod," he announced
by way of introduction and, "that's her."

Gun in hand, Hod Blake nodded curtly: "D'you say you know this here
party?" he asked.

"Yes, that is, I think I do."

"Ike, here, says how you figgered you could go in an' make him
surrender."

Alice nodded, somehow, that word surrender had an ominous sound. "He
hasn't--killed anyone, has he?"

"No, he ain't killed no one--yet. He nicked Pete Barras in the arm, an'
has otherwise feloniously disturbed the peace of Timber City to a extent
it'll cost him a hundred dollars' fine besides damages fer shootin' up,
an' causin' to git shot up, the Red Front saloon."

"And, you'd kill a man for that!" cried the girl, indignantly.

"I'll tell a hand, we'll kill him! Anyone that starts gun-play in Timber
City's got to go on through with it."

"You're cowards!" exclaimed the girl. "How many of you are there against
one man?"

"That don't make no difference. We got the law on our side, an' he
ain't on his'n. He come in here a-huntin' trouble--an' he got it. An'
he'l