"I'm thankin' yu, but I figure I can walk to the saloon," was the answer. "Runnin' away from trouble is poor policy, ol'-timer; I did it afore, an' I was wrong." His arrival at the Red Light stilled every tongue, and the crowd fell apart to allow him to pass. He nodded to Nippert. "yu 'pear to be right busy, Ned," he said coolly.
"Thanks to you," was the reply. "Jim, d'you know this fella?" Sudden surveyed the newcomer indifferently. "Yeah, some months back he obliged me by makin' it clear I was not one of his friends."
"He claims you are James Green, late marshal o' Pine-town, that you shot down a man you had no quarrel with, an' left with a posse chasin' you."
"Put thataway I gotta allow it sounds pretty bad," Sudden admitted. "This is what happened." He told of the message, his errand, and the shots from the dark, his grim gaze on his accuser. "I fired back at the flashes, an' yu 'pear to have been lucky, Javert; when I last saw yu, both yore ears were in good shape." The man scowled; the lobe of his left ear had been torn away and the wound was newly-healed. "Lyin' won't save yore neck," he said.
"An' all these folk can't save yore life if I decide to take it," the marshal reminded sternly, and went on to explain how, expecting a third assailant, he had slain his friend. "I figure he had a message too, an' was comin' to help me. It was a frame-up; this fella an' the two rats who run with him meant to hive the pair of us. That's a debt I'm not forgettin', Javert." The threatened man laughed. "You'll have to pay in the next world, I guess; yo're mighty near through with this one," he said, and looked round. "Well, gents, what we waitin' for? All we need is a rope an' a tree." A low growl of assent from a portion of the audience greeted this sinister suggestion. The saloon-keeper rapped on the bar.
"Hold yore hosses, Mister. This town ain't in the habit o' allowin' strangers to tell it what to do. I'd like to know how you come to be in this?"
"I'm plumb fortunate," Javert explained. "When the posse gives up, I don't. Then I runs into Dutch, who tells me 'bout yore new marshal, an' I figure I've found my man." Nippert pondered for a moment, and then, "We've heard yore account, makin' it plain murder, an' his, claimin' it was an accident." He looked at the accused. "I reckon we'll have to throw you into the calaboose, Jim, till we git more evidence from Pinetown." The proposal aroused a storm of protest, in which Jake's voice was prominent. "What more do you want?" he shouted. "He's owned up to the killin'."
"He's owned up to shootin' in self-defence."
"Which means you ain't believin' me," Javert put in.
"We think yo're mebbe a mite biased," the saloon-keeper said satirically. "Speakin' personal, I wouldn't trust you for the price of a drink." The other shrugged off the insult. "Does it mean anythin' to you that this man is an outlaw knowed as `Sudden,' wanted in Texas for robbery an' murder?" he demanded.
This time he produced a real effect on his listeners. Many of them had heard the name, and the evil reputation which went with it. Remembering the shooting contest, they regarded with new interest this grave man who, for a short while, had dwelt amongst them, and who, on every occasion, had forborne to make use of his uncanny skill with a gun. He stood now, leaning lazily against the bar, unperturbed, while the issue of life and death hung in the balance. Nip-pert, though he could see that his further charge had brought a look of doubt into the faces of men he was depending upon, stood his ground.
"Not a thing," he replied. "Texas warrants don't run in Arizona"--he smiled a little--"if they did, some o' you wouldn't be here." The sly dig produced a laugh. "Texas sheriffs can do their own work, an' the same goes for Pine-town; if she wants to hang this fella, let her come an' fetch him." This eminently fair proposition met with a mixed reception; Javert condemned it, briefly but luridly. The maker of it listened with twinkling eyes.
"O' course, there's another way out," he said, "You"--pointing to Javert--"have been searchin' for the marshal. Well, you can take him; we ain't helpin' nor stoppin' you." The generous offer did not seem to appeal to the Pine-town representative--his expression was a mixture of consternation and disgust; bringing Sudden to justice single-handed was a task for which he had no stomach. Despite the gravity of the occasion, the saloon-keeper's friends were smiling at the adroit manner in which he had "passed the buck" to this objectionable interloper. Jake came to the aid of his witness.
"Talk sense, Nippert," he said. "You know damn' well yo're askin' the impossible."
"Jim 'pears to have learned you somethin'," was the biting reply. "If man to man ain't good enough for this fella, we'll let you help him; that makes the odds two to one. How about it, marshal?"
"Suits me," was the nonchalant answer.
But it did not suit the other two concerned. "What's the matter with this burg?" Mullins cried contemptuously. "Here's a confessed killer an' yo're tryin' to turn him loose."
"That ain't so," Rapper retorted. "He'll be held till we hear from Pinetown."
"Mebbe," the other sneered. "We'll deal with him now." Nippert looked at the accused. "Jim, yo're still marshal," he said. "I'm tellin' you to down any man who goes for a gun " The harsh order stilled the clamour. Though the turbulent faction had a majority, the saloon-keeper was not alone, and that lounging figure at the bar had not given an exhibition of his prowess without effect.
So they stood sullenly back and allowed the captive to be conducted to the calaboose. Nippert stepped inside.
"I'll have to take yore hardware now, Jim," he said. "I'm hopin' things ain't as bad as they look." Sudden handed over his belt. "I've given yu the straight of it," he replied. "I took Dave's life, an' I'd 'a' cut a hand off sooner than hurt him. It's made me shy o' gun-play, as yu may have noticed. I could 'a' got away--Sloppy warned me --but I'm tired o' runnin' an' yu'll find me here when I'm wanted."
"I'm takin' yore word," Nippert said.
As he emerged on the street again, a rider dashed past, taking the westerly trail; it was Dutch. He pondered over this as he secured the door.
"So that's the game, huh?" he murmured. "Well, there's an answer to that." He turned into the marshal's quarters, where he found Sloppy slumped disconsolately in a chair.
"You wanta help?" he inquired.
"Betcha life," the little man said eagerly. "What can I do?"
"Fork a hoss an' ride hell-bent for the Bar O. Tell Owen what's happened an' say for him to fetch along as many of his boys as possible, on the run. Sabe?"
"Shore," Sloppy replied. "Sent to Pinetown yet?"
"That can wait; I've a notion Jake's plannin' to save us the trouble. Git agoin', an' leave kind o' casual-like, in the opposite direction." This precaution taken, Nippert returned to the saloon, where a few of his intimates awaited him.
"If he's that notorious outlaw " Morley began.
"He wouldn't be the first to have a wrong label pinned on him," Nippert cut in. "Anyways, I'm holdin' him till we know more. We must have a couple o' men on that door."
"you think he'll try to get out?" the banker queried.
"No, but others may try to git in; Jake ain't finished yet --he's sent for Sark." Their faces lengthened. "That's bad," Rapper admitted. "The Dumb-bell would more than tip the balance."
"Yeah, but Sloppy's on his way to bring the Bar O," Nip-pert informed. "Trouble is, they've further to come. Now, I want you to get hold o' the decent fellas an' convince 'em that our proper play is to hand over the marshal--if he's guilty--to Pinetown; we don't hanker for any messy business here." Meanwhile, Mullins and his visitor were sitting in the kitchen at the back of his eating-house, discussing a bottle and the situation.
"We oughta rushed 'em," Javert grumbled.
"Yeah, you an' me would've bin the first to stop rushin'; that marshal swine'd take care o' that," Jake countered acridly. "I've seen him shoot."