CHAPTER XVI
THE GUNFIGHTER RETURNS AND DELAYS WEDDING
They were to be married in a fortnight. Hetty's preparations were of thesimplest sort.
"I'll fix my hair the way you like it," she said, laughing. "That'sabout all I can do."
On his part, Lafe wrote to the Floyds and obtained their promise tocome. Mrs. Floyd did not seem to resent this usurpation of the sheriff'saffection, which establishes her rarity beyond question. Then he orderedsome furniture. It was of an inexpensive kind, because he had savednothing and had only a month's pay owing to him. The sheriff would notrun into debt, having had a surfeit of its effects when a cowboy.
Of course he went to call on Hetty every night at the Widow Brown's.Occasionally he found opportunity to drop around during the day, too.Hetty had resigned as waitress, and her admirers faded away, for it isfoolish to meddle with another man's girl, when that other is such anone as Lafe Johnson. And ten or eleven days sped by.
Then, about eight o'clock on an evening when the sheriff was talking toHetty on the Widow Brown's porch, Steve Moffatt ambled into town. Hedismounted quietly in front of the Fashion, walked across to the expressoffice and stuck a six-shooter under the agent's nose. That officialreasoned swiftly and decided to let him take what he could find. He wasnot without pluck, but he was also a very sensible man. There was onlyninety dollars in the safe, and having soundly berated the agent on thisaccount, Moffatt put it in his pocket and rode out of Badger. He leftthe agent bound to a chair and securely gagged.
"Tell Lafe Johnson good-by for me," Moffatt said at departure. "Give himand his girl my regards."
"Thanks," said Lafe politely, when he received them.
He saddled his horse and put a rifle in the holster. His .45 was alwaysat his hip, concealed in a leather-lined pocket.
"I reckon we'll have to put the wedding off a few days, Hetty," he said,as he bade her good-by. "I've got to leave on the jump. There's nosaying when I'll get back, either."
It was nearly midnight and very dark. Hetty toyed with his horse's mane.She swallowed the lump that rose in her throat.
"All right," she said. "Take care of yourself, Lafe."
The sheriff kissed her and set out. He entered Mexico and strucksouthwest. No United States officer had a right to invade Mexicanterritory for a criminal, nor to arrest him on Mexican soil, but Johnsonwas determined to catch his man first and argue this legal phase of itafterwards, with Steve safe in the calaboose at Badger. So he opened aline gate unobserved and galloped through the soft night in pursuit ofMoffatt.
The days sped by and Hetty received a wire from Lafe, who was now inCananea.
"No luck," it ran. "He's doubled back on me. Hope to pick up trailhere."
But what transpired in Cananea deserves a place to itself. Even nowHetty does not like to hear any reference to the subject, and Lafe willeye her uneasily if it be mentioned.