43
One thing was now clear. He must not remain in The Corner unless he wasprepared for Lord Nick again: and in a third meeting guns must be drawn.From that greater sin he shrank, and prepared to leave. His order toGeorge made the big man's eyes widen, but George had long since passedthe point where he cared to question the decision of his master. Hebegan to build the packs.
As for Donnegan, he could see that there was little to be won byremaining. That would save Landis to Lou Macon, to be sure, but afterall, he was beginning to wonder if it were not better to let the bigfellow go back to his own kind--Lebrun and the rest. For if it neededcompulsion to keep him with Lou now, might it not be the same storyhereafter?
Indeed, Donnegan began to feel that all his labor in The Corner had beenrunning on a treadmill. It had all been grouped about the main purpose,which was to keep Landis with the girl. To do that now he must beprepared to face Nick again; and to face Nick meant the bringing of theguilt of fratricide upon the head of one of them. There only remainedflight. He saw at last that he had been fighting blindly from thefirst. He had won a girl whom he did not love--though doubtless herliking was only the most fickle fancy. And she for whom he would havedied he had taught to hate him. It was a grim summing up. Donneganwalked the room whistling softly to himself as he checked up hisaccounts.
One thing at least he had done; he had taken the joy out of his lifeforever.
And here, answering a rap at the door, he opened it upon Lou Macon. Shewore a dress of some very soft material. It was a pale blue--faded, nodoubt--but the color blended exquisitely with her hair and with theflush of her face. It came to Donnegan that it was an unnecessarycruelty of chance that made him see the girl lovelier than he had everseen her before at the very moment when he was surrendering the lastshadow of a claim upon her.
And it hurt him, also, to see the freshness of her face, the clear eyes;and to hear her smooth, untroubled voice. She had lived untouched byanything save the sunshine in The Corner.
Her glance flicked across his face and then fluttered down, and hercolor increased guiltily.
"I have come to ask you a favor," she said.
"Step in," said Donnegan, recovering his poise at length.
At this, she looked past him, and her eyes widened a little. There wasan imperceptible shrug of her shoulders, as though the very thought ofentering this cabin horrified her. And Donnegan had to bear that look aswell.
"I'll stay here; I haven't much to say. It's a small thing."
"Large or small," said Donnegan eagerly. "Tell me!"
"My father has asked me to take a letter for him down to the town andmail it. I--I understand that it would be dangerous for me to go alone.Will you walk with me?"
And Donnegan turned cold. Go down into The Corner? Where by five chancesout of ten he must meet his brother in the street?
"I can do better still," he said, smiling. "I'll have George take theletter down for you."
"Thank you. But you see, father would not trust it to anyone save me. Iasked him; he was very firm about it."
"Tush! I would trust George with my life."
"Yes, yes It is not what I wish--but my father rarely changes hismind."
Perspiration beaded the forehead of Donnegan. Was there no way to evadethis easy request?
"You see," he faltered, "I should be glad to go--"
She raised her eyes slowly.
"But I am terribly busy this morning."
She did not answer, but half of her color left her face.
"Upon my word of honor there is no danger to a woman in the town."
"But some of the ruffians of Lord Nick--"
"If they dared to even raise their voices at you, they would hear fromhim in a manner that they would never forget."
"Then you don't wish to go?"
She was very pale now; and to Donnegan it was more terrible than the gunin the hand of Lord Nick. Even if she thought he was slighting her whyshould she take it so mortally to heart? For Donnegan, who saw allthings, was blind to read the face of this girl.
"It doesn't really matter," she murmured and turned away.
A gentle motion, but it wrenched the heart of Donnegan. He was instantlybefore her.
"Wait here a moment. I'll be ready to go down immediately."
"No. I can't take you from your--work."
What work did she assign to him in her imagination? Endless planning ofdeviltry no doubt.
"I shall go with you," said Donnegan. "At first--I didn't dream it couldbe so important. Let me get my hat."
He left her and leaped back into the cabin.
"I am going down into The Corner for a moment," he said over hisshoulder to George, as he took his belt down from the wall.
The big man strode to the wall and took his hat from a nail.
"I shall not need you, George."
But George merely grinned, and his big teeth flashed at the master. Andin the second place he took up a gun from the drawer and offered it toDonnegan.
"The gun in that holster ain't loaded," he said.
Donnegan considered him soberly.
"I know it. There'll be no need for a loaded gun."
But once more George grinned. All at once Donnegan turned pale.
"You dog," he whispered. "Did you listen at the door when Nick washere?"
"Me?" murmured George. "No, I just been thinking."
And so it was that while Donnegan went down the hill with Lou Macon,carrying an empty-chambered revolver, George followed at a distance of afew paces, and he carried a loaded weapon unknown to Donnegan.
It was the dull time of the day in The Corner. There were very fewpeople in the single street, and though most of them turned to look atthe little man and the girl who walked beside him, not one of themeither smiled or whispered.
"You see?" said Donnegan. "You would have been perfectly safe--even fromLord Nick's ruffians. That was one of his men we passed back there."
"Yes. I'm safe with you," said the girl.
And when she looked up to him, the blood of Donnegan turned to fire.
Out of a shop door before them came a girl with a parcel under her arm.She wore a gay, semi-masculine outfit, bright-colored, jaunty, and shewalked with a lilt toward them. It was Nelly Lebrun. And as she passedthem. Donnegan lifted his hat ceremoniously high. She nodded to him witha smile, but the smile aimed wan and small in an instant. There was aquick widening and then a narrowing of her eyes, and Donnegan knew thatshe had judged Lou Macon as only one girl can judge another who islovelier.
He glanced at Lou to see if she had noticed, and he saw her raise herhead and go on with her glance proudly straight before her; but her facewas very pale, and Donnegan knew that she had guessed everything thatwas true and far more than the truth. Her tone at the door of the postoffice was ice.
"I think you are right, Mr. Donnegan. There's no danger. And if you haveanything else to do, I can get back home easily enough."
"I'll wait for you," murmured Donnegan sadly, and he stood as the doorof the little building with bowed head.
And then a murmur came down the street. How small it was, and howsinister! It consisted of exclamations begun, and then broken sharplyoff. A swirl of people divided as a cloud of dust divides before a blastof wind, and through them came the gigantic figure of Lord Nick!
On he came, a gorgeous figure, a veritable king of men. He carried hishat in his hand and his red hair flamed, and he walked with greatstrides. Donnegan glanced behind him. The way was clear. If he turned,Lord Nick would not pursue him, he knew.
But to flee even from his brother was more than he could do; for thewoman he loved would know of it and could never understand.
He touched the holster that held his empty gun--and waited!
An eternity between every step of Lord Nick. Others seemed to havesensed the meaning of this silent scene. People seemed to stand frozenin the midst of gestures. Or was that because Donnegan's own thoughtswere traveling at such lightning speed
that the rest of the world seemedstanding still? What kept Lou Macon? If she were with him, not even LordNick in his madness would force on a gunplay in the presence of a woman,no doubt.
Lord Nick was suddenly close; he had paused; his voice rang over thestreet and struck upon Donnegan's ear as sounds come under water.
"Donnegan!"
"Aye!" called Donnegan softly.
"It's the time!"
"Aye," said Donnegan.
Then a huge body leaped before him; it was big George. And as he spranghis gun went up with his hand in a line of light. The two reports cameclose together as finger taps on a table, and big George, completing hisspring, lurched face downward into the sand.
Dead? Not yet. All his faith and selflessness were nerving the big man.And Donnegan stood behind him, unarmed!
He reared himself upon his knees--an imposing bulk, even then, and firedagain. But his hand was trembling, and the bullet shattered a sign abovethe head of Lord Nick. He, in his turn, it seemed to Donnegan that themotion was slow, twitched up the muzzle of his weapon and fired oncemore from his hip. And big George lurched back on the sand, with hisface upturned to Donnegan. He would have spoken, but a burst of bloodchoked him; yet his eyes fixed and glazed, he mustered his laststrength and offered his revolver to Donnegan.
But Donnegan let the hand fall limp to the ground. There were voicesabout him; steps running; but all that he clearly saw was Lord Nick withhis feet braced, and his head high.
"Donnegan! Your gun!"
"Aye," said Donnegan.
"Take it then!"
But in the crisis, automatically Donnegan flipped his useless revolverout of its holster and into his hand. At the same instant the gun fromNick's hand seemed to blaze in his eyes. He was struck a crushing blowin his chest. He sank upon his knees: another blow struck his head, andDonnegan collapsed on the body of big George.
44
An ancient drunkard in the second story of one of the stores across thestreet had roused himself at the sound of the shots and now he draggedhimself to the window and began to scream: "Murder! Murder!" over andover, and even The Corner shuddered at the sound of his voice.
Lord Nick, his revolver still in his hand, stalked through the film ofpeople who now swirled about him, eager to see the dead. There was nocall for the law to make its appearance, and the representatives of thelaw were wisely dilatory in The Corner.
He stood over the two motionless figures with a stony face.
"You saw it, boys," he said. "You know what I've borne from this fellow.The big man pulled his gun first on me. I shot in self-defense. Asfor--the other--it was a square fight."
"Square fight," someone answered. "You both went for your irons at thesame time. Pretty work, Nick."
It was a solid phalanx of men which had collected around the movelessbodies as swiftly as mercury sinks through water. Yet none of themtouched either Donnegan or George. And then the solid group dissolved atone side. It was the moan of a woman which had scattered it, and ayellow-haired girl slipped through them. She glanced once, in horror, atthe mute faces of the men, and then there was a wail as she threwherself on the body of Donnegan. Somewhere she found the strength of aman to lift him and place him face upward on the sand, the gun trailinglimply in his hand. And then she lay, half crouched over him, her facepressed to his heart--listening--listening for the stir of life.
Shootings were common in The Corner; the daily mortality ran high; butthere had never been aftermaths like this one. Men looked at oneanother, and then at Lord Nick. A bright spot of color had come in hischeeks, but his face was as hard as ever.
"Get her away from him," someone murmured.
And then another man cried out, stooped, wrenched the gun from the limphand of Donnegan and opened the cylinder. He spun it: daylight wasglittering through the empty cylinder.
At this the man stiffened, and with a low bow which would have donecredit to a drawing-room, he presented the weapon butt first to LordNick.
"Here's something the sheriff will want to see," he said, "but maybeyou'll be interested, too."
But Lord Nick, with the gun in his hand, stared at it dumbly, turned theempty cylinder. And the full horror crept slowly on his mind. He had notkilled his brother, he had murdered him. As his eyes cleared, he caughtthe glitter of the eyes which surrounded him.
And then Lou Macon was on her knees with her hands clasped at her breastand her face glorious.
"Help!" she was crying. "Help me. He's not dead, but he's dying unlessyou help me!"
Then Lord Nick cast away his own revolver and the empty gun of Donnegan.They heard him shout: "Garry!" and saw him stride forward.
Instantly men pressed between, hard-jawed men who meant business. It wasa cordon he would have to fight his way through: but he dissolved itwith a word.
"You fools! He's my brother!"
And then he was on his knees opposite Lou Macon.
"You?" she had stammered in horror.
"His brother, girl."
And ten minutes later, when the bandages had been wound, there was astrange sight of Lord Nick striding up the street with his victim in hisarms. How lightly he walked; and he was talking to the calm, pale facewhich rested in the hollow of his shoulder.
"He will live? He will live?" Lou Macon was pleading as she hurried atthe side of Lord Nick.
"God willing, he shall live!"
It was three hours before Donnegan opened his eyes. It was three daysbefore he recovered his senses, and looking aside toward the door he sawa brilliant shaft of sunlight falling into the room. In the midst of itsat Lou Macon. She had fallen asleep in her great weariness now that thecrisis was over. Behind her, standing, his great arms folded, stood theindomitable figure of Lord Nick.
Donnegan saw and wondered greatly. Then he closed his eyes dreamily."Hush," said Donnegan to himself, as if afraid that what he saw was alla dream. "I'm in heaven, or if I'm not, it's still mighty good to bealive."
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