24
That was the signal for the rush that swept across the floor and left aflood of marveling men around the fallen Landis. On the outskirts ofthis tide, Donnegan stepped up to two men, Joe Rix and the Pedlar. Theygreeted him with expectant glances.
"Gentlemen," said Donnegan, "will you step aside?"
They followed him to a distance from the clamoring group.
"I have to thank you," said Donnegan.
"For what?"
"For changing your minds," said Donnegan, and left them.
And afterward the Pedlar murmured with an oddly twisted face: "Cat-eye,Joe. He can see in the dark! But I told you he was worth savin'."
"Speakin' in general," said Joe, "which you ain't hardly ever wrong whenyou get stirred up about a thing."
"He's something new," the Pedlar said wisely.
"Ay, he's rare."
"But talkin' aside, suppose he was to meet up with Lord Nick?"
The smile of Joe Rix was marvelously evil.
"You got a great mind for great things," he declared. "You ought to ofbeen in politics."
In the meantime the doctor had been found. The wound had been cleansed.It was a cruel one, for the bullet had torn its way through flesh andsinew, and for many a week the fighting arm of Jack Landis would beuseless. It had, moreover, carried a quantity of cloth into the wound,and it was almost impossible to cleanse the hole satisfactorily. As forthe bullet itself, it had whipped cleanly through, at that shortdistance making nothing of its target.
A door was knocked off its hinges. But before the wounded man was placedupon it, Lebrun appeared at the door into Milligan's. He was never avery cheery fellow in appearance, and now he looked like a demoniac. Hewent straight to Joe Rix and the skeleton form of the Pedlar. He raisedone finger as he looked at them.
"I've heard," said Lebrun. "Lord Nick likewise shall hear."
Joe Rix changed color. He bustled about, together with the Pedlar, andlent a hand in carrying the wounded man to the house of Lebrun, forNelly Lebrun was to be the nurse of Landis.
In the meantime, Donnegan went up the hill with big George behind him.Already he was a sinisterly marked man. Working through the crowd nearLebrun's gambling hall, a drunkard in the midst of a song stumbledagainst him. But the sight of the man with whom he had collided, soberedhim as swiftly as the lash of a whip across his face. It was impossiblefor him, in that condition, to grow pale. But he turned a vivid purple.
"Sorry, Mr. Donnegan."
Donnegan, with a shrug of his shoulders, passed on. The crowd splitbefore him, for they had heard his name. There were brave men, he knew,among them. Men who would fight to the last drop of blood rather than beshamed, but they shrank from Donnegan without shame, as they would haveshrunk from the coming of a rattler had their feet been bare. So he wenteasily through the crowd with big George in his wake, walking proudly.
For George had stood to one side and watched Donnegan indomitably beatdown the will of Jack Landis, and the sight would live in his mindforever. Indeed, if Donnegan had bidden the sun to stand in the heavens,the big man would have looked for obedience. That the forbearance ofDonnegan should have been based on a desire to serve a girl certainlyupset the mind of George, but it taught him an amazing thing--thatDonnegan was capable of affection.
The terrible Donnegan went on. In his wake the crowd closed slowly, formany had paused to look after the little man. Until they came to theoutskirts of the town and climbed the hill toward the two shacks. Theone was, of course, dark. But the shack in which Lou Macon lived burstwith light. Donnegan paused to consider this miracle. He listened, andhe heard voices--the voice of a man, laughing loudly. Thinking somethingwas wrong, he hurried forward and called loudly.
What he saw when he was admitted made him speechless. Colonel Macon,ensconced in his invalid chair, faced the door, and near him was LouMacon. Lou rose, half-frightened by the unexpected interruption, but theliquid laughter of the colonel set all to rights at once.
"Come in, Donnegan. Come in, lad," said the colonel.
"I heard a man's voice," Donnegan said half apologetically. The sickcolor began to leave his face, and relief swept over it slowly. "Ithought something might be wrong. I didn't think of you." And lookingdown, as all men will in moments of relaxation from a strain, he did notsee the eyes of Lou Macon grow softly luminous as they dwelt upon him.
"Come in, George," went on the colonel, "and make yourself comfortablein the kitchen. Close the door. Sit down, Donnegan. When your lettercame I saw that I was needed here. Lou, have you looked into ourfriend's cabin? No? Nothing like a woman's touch to give a man thefeeling of homeliness, Lou. Step over to Donnegan's cabin and put it torights. Yes, I know that George takes care of it, but George is onething, and your care will be another. Besides, I must be alone with himfor a moment. Man talk confuses a girl, Lou. You shouldn't listen toit."
She withdrew with that faint, dreamy smile with which she so often heardthe instructions of her father; as though she were only listening withhalf of her mind. When she was gone, though the door to the kitchenstood wide open, and big George was in it, the colonel lowered his bassvoice so successfully that it was as safe as being alone with Donnegan.
"And now for facts," he began.
"But," said Donnegan, "how--that chair--how in the world have you comehere?"
The colonel shook his head.
"My dear boy, you grieve and disappoint me. The manner in which a thingis done is not important. Mysteries are usually simply explained. As formy small mystery--a neighbor on the way to The Corner with a wagonstopped in, and I asked him to take me along. So here I am. But now foryour work here, lad?"
"Bad," said Donnegan.
"I gathered you had been unfortunate. And now you have been fighting?"
"You have heard?"
"I see it in your eye, Donnegan. When a man has been looking fear in theface for a time, an image of it remains in his eyes. They are wider,glazed with the other thing."
"It was forced on me," said Donnegan. "I have shot Landis."
He was amazed to see the colonel was vitally affected. His lips remainedparted over his next word, and one eyelid twitched violently. But thespasm passed over quickly. When he raised his perfect hands and pressedthem together just under his chin. He smiled in a most winning mannerthat made the blood of Donnegan run cold.
"Donnegan," he said softly, "I see that I have misjudged you. Iunderestimated you. I thought, indeed, that your rare qualities werequalified by painful weaknesses. But now I see that you are a man, andfrom this moment we shall act together with open minds. So you have doneit? Tush, then I need not have taken my trip. The work is done; themines come to me as the heir of Jack. And yet, poor boy, I pity him! Hemisjudged me; he should not have ventured to this deal with Lord Nickand his compatriots!"
"Wait," exclaimed Donnegan. "You're wrong; Landis is not dead."
Once more the colonel was checked, but this time the alteration in hisface was no more than a comma's pause in a long balanced sentence. Itwas impossible to obtain more than one show of emotion from him in asingle conversation.
"Not dead? Well, Donnegan, that is unfortunate. And after you hadpunctured him you had no chance to send home the finishing shot?"
Donnegan merely watched the colonel and tapped his bony finger againstthe point of his chin.
"Ah," murmured the colonel, "I see another possibility. It is almost asgood--it may even be better than his death. You have disabled him, andhaving done this you at once take him to a place where he shall be underyour surveillance--this, in fact, is a very comfortable outlook--for meand my interests. But for you, Donnegan, how the devil do you benefit byhaving Jack flat on his back, sick, helpless, and in a perfect positionto excite all the sympathies of Lou?"
Now, Donnegan had known cold-blooded men in his day, but that thereexisted such a man as the colonel had never come into his mind. Helooked upon the colonel, therefore, with neither disgust nor anger, butwith a distant and almost admir
ing wonder. For perfect evil always winssomething akin to admiration from more common people.
"Well," continued the colonel, a little uneasy under this silentscrutiny--silence was almost the only thing in the world that couldtrouble him--"well, Donnegan, my lad, this is your plan, is it not?"
"To shoot down Landis, then take possession of him and while I nurse himback to health hold a gun--metaphorically speaking--to his head and makehim do as I please: sign some lease, say, of the mines to you?"
The colonel shifted himself to a more comfortable position in his chair,brought the tips of his fingers together under his vast chin, and smiledbenevolently upon Donnegan.
"It is as I thought," he murmured. "Donnegan, you are rare; you areexquisite!"
"And you," said Donnegan, "are a scoundrel."
"Exactly. I am very base." The colonel laughed. "You and I alone canspeak with intimate knowledge of me." His chuckle shook all his body,and set the folds of his face quivering. His mirth died away when he sawDonnegan come to his feet.
"Eh?" he called.
"Good-by," said Donnegan.
"But where--Landis--Donnegan, what devil is in your eye?"
"A foolish devil, Colonel Macon. I surrender the benefits of all mywork for you and go to make sure that you do not lay your hands uponJack Landis."
The colonel opened and closed his lips foolishly like a fish gaspingsilently out of water. It was rare indeed for the colonel to appearfoolish.
"In heaven's name, Donnegan!"
The little man smiled. He had a marvelously wicked smile, which camefrom the fact that his lips could curve while his eyes remained brightand straight, and malevolently unwrinkled. He laid his hand on the knobof the door.
"Donnegan," cried the colonel, gray of face, "give me one minute."