Polly, adding
complacently: "And probably projectin' a hitch-up of his own."

Slim ran around the corner of the house directly into the crowd, who
seized him before he could recover from his surprise, and proceeded to
haze him, to their intense delight and the Sheriff's embarrassment, for
he knew that Polly was somewhere near, enjoying his discomfiture.
Polly waited until her victim was fully ready for her particular form
of torture. The reception of the cowboys was crude to her refined form
of making the fat Sheriff uncomfortable.

With the velvety cruelty of a flirt she held out her hand, saying:
"Hello, Slim."

The Sheriff flushed under his tan. The red crept up the back of his
neck to his ears. He awkwardly took off his hat. With a bow and a
scrape he greeted her: "Howdy, Miss Polly, howdy." Meantime he shook
her hand until she winced from the heartiness of the grip.

"What's the news?" she asked, as she slowly straightened out her
fingers one by one.

"There's been a killin' over Florence way," announced the Sheriff,
putting on his hat and becoming an officer of the law with duty to
perform.

"Who is the misfortunate?" asked Sage-brush, as they gathered about
Hoover and listened intently.

Murder in Arizona was a serious matter, and punishment was meted out to
the slayer or he was freed by his fellow citizens. Far from courts of
justice and surrounded by men to whom death was often merely an
incident in a career of crime, the settlers were forced to depend upon
themselves to keep peace on the border. They acted quickly, but never
hastily. Judgment followed quickly on conviction. Their views were
broad, and rarely were their decisions wrong.

"'Ole Man' Terrill," replied the Sheriff. "Happened about ten this
mornin'. Some man caught him alone in the railroad-station and blowed
his head half-off."

"Do tell!" was Allen's exclamation.

"Yep," continued the Sheriff. "He must have pulled a gun on the
fellow. He put up some sort of a fight, as the room is some mussed up."

"Robbery?" queried Polly, with wide-open eyes.

"That's what!" answered Slim, turning to her. "He had three thousan'
dollars pinned in his vest--county money for salaries. You know how he
toted his wad around with him, defyin' man or the devil to get it 'way
from him? Well, some one who was both man an' devil was too much for
him."

"Who found him?"

"I did myself. Went over around noon after the money. Didn't stop to