Part 15 (1/2)

”Keep a-jos.h.i.+n'. I like it. Shows how much you don't know. I--h.e.l.lo, Mr.

Bartley! Shake hands with Lon Pelly--but I guess you met him, over to Antelope. You needn't to mind the rest of these guys. They're harmless.”

”I don't want to interrupt--” began Bartley.

”Set right in!” they invited in chorus. ”We're just listenin' to Cheyenne preachin' his own funeral sermon.”

Bartley seated himself in the doorway of the bunk-house. The jos.h.i.+ng ceased. Cheyenne, who could never keep his hands still, toyed with the dice. Presently one of the boys suggested that Cheyenne show them some fancy work with a six-gun--”just to keep your wrist limber,” he concluded.

Cheyenne shook his head. But, when Bartley intimated that he would like to see Cheyenne shoot, Cheyenne rose.

”All right. I'll shoot any fella here for ten bucks--him to name the target.”

”No, you don't,” said a puncher. ”We ain't givin' our dough away, just to git rid of it.”

”And right recent they was talkin' big,” said Cheyenne. ”I'll shoot the spot of a playin'-card, if you'll hold it,” he a.s.serted, indicating Bartley.

The boys glanced at Bartley and then lowered their eyes, wondering what the Easterner would do. Bartley felt that this was a test of his nerve, and, while he didn't like the idea of engaging in a William Tell performance he realized that Cheyenne must have had a reason for choosing him, out of the men present, and that Cheyenne knew his business.

”Cheyenne wants to git out of shootin',” suggested a puncher.

That settled it with Bartley. ”He won't disappoint you,” he stated quietly. ”Give me the card.”

One of the boys got up and fetched an old deck of cards. Bartley chose the ace of spades. Back of the corrals, with nothing but mesa in sight, he took up his position, while Cheyenne stepped off fifteen paces.

Bartley's hand trembled a little. Cheyenne noticed it and turned to the group, saying something that made them laugh. Bartley's fingers tensed.

He forgot his nervousness. Cheyenne whirled and shot, apparently without aim. Bartley drew a deep breath, and glanced at the card. The black pip was cut clean from the center.

”That's easy,” a.s.serted Cheyenne. Then he took a silver dollar from his pocket, laid it in the palm of his right hand, hung the gun, by its trigger guard on his right forefinger, lowered his hand and tossed the coin up. As the coin went up the gun whirled over. Then came the whiz of the coin as it cut through s.p.a.ce.

”About seventy-five shots like that and I'm broke,” laughed Cheyenne.

”Anybody's hat need ventilatin'?”

”Not this child's,” a.s.serted Lon Pelly. ”I sailed my hat for him onct.

It was a twenty-dollar J.B., when I sailed it. When it hit it sure wouldn't hold water. Six holes in her--and three shots.”

”Six?” exclaimed Bartley.

”The three shots went clean through both sides,” said Lon.

Cheyenne reloaded his gun and dropped it into the holster.

Later, Bartley had a talk with Cheyenne about the proposed trailing of the stolen horses. Panhandle's name was mentioned. And the name of another man--Sneed. Cheyenne seemed to know just where he would look, and whom he might expect to meet.

Bartley and Cheyenne were in the living-room that evening talking with the Senator and his wife. Out in the bunk-house those of the boys who had not left for the line shack were discussing horse-thieves in general and Panhandle and Sneed in particular. Bill Smalley, a saturnine member of the outfit, who seldom said anything, and who was a good hand but a surly one, made a remark.