ze ranger what chase me some more again," smiled Lopez. He seemed
wholly unconcerned.

"Texas rangers after you?" asked "Red," startled.

"_Si!_" laughed Lopez.

"And you don't even get excited?"

"For why? It is not my habit. I give not a damn for any man." He snapped
his fingers, as though at life itself.

Two horses could be seen through the door. The men were bringing them up to
their leader. "We should take our time--is no hurry." He took his big
sombrero from the peg where he had put it long ago, and turned to Gilbert.
"Well, I go now. _Adios_, my frand."

"Wait a minute," the other tried to detain him. "You've killed him. You
wouldn't go and leave things this way, would you?"

"As I say, no trouble for me," Lopez boyishly said, and smiled, shrugging
his broad shoulders.

Gilbert was astonished. "Yes; but how about me?" he wanted to know, "You do
not think of that."

The bandit turned, amazed. "What ze matter? Are you not satisfied? You all
what you say: zit--zot--zet!" He pinched his fingers, and made a funny
little noise.

"I can't think," said Gilbert, sitting down, one hand on his forehead.
"It's all so strange, so confusing to me. The world seems to be rocking
beneath my feet. What does it all mean--this life we live for so brief a
time? What does anything mean?"

Lopez came over to him and put his hand on his shoulder affectionately.
"You Americanos so queer," he said, "For why you waste time thinking? Are
you not rich? 'Ave you not ze beautiful lady to love like 'ell yourself
personal?"

Gilbert jumped up. He thought he would go mad if this sort of thing kept
up. "Good God, man!" he cried. "After what you've done, you can talk like
that?"

"What have I done?" inquired the bandit, blandly. "Well, _what_ I done?"

Gilbert looked at him in amazement. "You killed him! That's all."

Lopez smiled. "Sure!" He let the word loiter on his tongue. He pulled it
out like so much molasses candy. "I killed him--sure. Was in ze way. What
else could I do?"

"You've put a barrier between us. We're of a different brand, a different
calibre. Don't you see?"

"Ees no way for pliz you. If I do not kill ze 'usband, ees all wrong. If I
do kill ze 'usband, ees all wrong. Say," he looked at him in confusion,
"what ze 'ell shall I do wiz ze damn 'usband, anyway?" He puckered his
brow.

"Oh, I don't know," Gilbert said in desperation. What was the use in
arguing with this barbarian? Yes, he was a barbarian--not