r, I got him for you. I
got him alive for you to look at him! Wake up!"

As if in obedience to the summons the eyes of Calder opened wide. The
lids fluttered as if to clear his vision, but even then his gaze was
filmed with a telltale shadow.

"Dan--Whistling Dan," he said, "I'm seeing you a long, long ways off.
Partner, I'm done for."

The whole body of Dan stiffened.

"Done? Tex, you can't be! Five minutes ago you sat at that there
table, smilin' an' talkin'!"

"It doesn't take five minutes. Half a second can take a man all the
way to hell!"

"If you're goin', pal, if you goin', Tex, take one comfort along with
you! I got the man who killed you! Come here!"

He pulled the outlaw to his knees beside the dying marshal whose face
had lighted wonderfully. He strained his eyes painfully to make out
the face of his slayer. Then he turned his head.

He said: "The man who killed me was Jim Silent."

Dan groaned and leaned close to Calder.

"Then I'll follow him to the end--" he began.

The feeble accent of Calder interrupted him.

"Not that way. Come close to me. I can't hear my own voice, hardly."

Dan bowed his head. A whisper murmured on for a moment, broken here
and there as Dan nodded his head and said, "Yes!"

"Then hold up your hand, your right hand," said Calder at last,
audibly.

Dan obeyed.

"You swear it?"

"So help me God!"

"Then here's the pledge of it!"

Calder fumbled inside his shirt for a moment, and then withdrawing his
hand placed it palm down in that of Dan. The breath of the marshal was
coming in a rattling gasp.

He said very faintly: "I've stopped the trails of twenty men. It took
the greatest of them all to get me. He got me fair. He beat me to the
draw!"

He stopped as if in awe.

"He played square--he's a better man than I. Dan, when you get him,
do it the same way--face to face--with time for him to think of hell
before he gets there. Partner, I'm going. Wish me luck."

"Tex--partner--good luck!"

It seemed as if that parting wish was granted, for Calder died with a
smile.

When Dan rose slowly Gus Morris stepped up and laid a hand on his
arm: "Look here, there ain't no use of bein' sad for Tex Calder. His
business was killin' men, an' his own time was overdue."

Dan turned a face that made Morris wince.

"What's the matter?" he asked, with an attempt at bluff good nature.
"Do you hate everyone because one man is dead? I'll tell you what I'll
do. I'll loan you