I reckon Sinker got him. He drug himself here last
night and I took him in. This is me home--and if you fellas is _men_,
you'll let him die easy and quiet."
"I'm from Missouri," said Shoop, with a hard laugh. "You got to show
me that he's--like you say, or--"
Sundown leveled his gun at Shoop. "I ain't lyin' to you, Bud. Sinker
was me friend. And I ain't lyin' when I says that the fust fella that
tries to tech him crosses over afore he does."
Some one laughed. Corliss touched Shoop's arm and whispered to him.
With a curse the foreman turned and the men clumped out to the yard.
"He's right," said Corliss. "We'll wait."
They stood around talking and commenting upon Sundown's defense of the
Mexican.
"'Course we could 'a' got him," said Shoop, "but it don't set right
with me to be stood up by a tenderfoot. Sundown's sure loco."
"I don't know, Bud. He's queer, all right, but this is his ranch.
He's got a right to order us out."
Shoop was about to retort when Sundown came to the doorway. "I guess
you can come in now," he said. "And you won't need no gun." The men
shuffled awkwardly, and finally led by Corliss they filed into the room
and one by one they stepped to the open door of the bedroom and gazed
within.
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