loosened her dress at the throat as if she stifled.
“For God’s sake, Freddie. You have a sister. I’ve seen her picture. For her sake!”
He was utterly white and striving to speak.
“He would know it was me who did it,” he said at last, “and then—”
Voices sounded far away. They listened with great eyes that stared at each other but saw only their own imaginings.
The voices drew closer.
“The door! The door!” she whispered. “Lock the door! They’re coming—the men he warned us about!”
He was frozen to the spot on which he stood.
“Hello!” called a voice from without.
“Montgomery!” she moaned, wringing her hands.
At last he walked hastily to the door.
“You can’t come in here,” he answered.
“Why the hell not?” roared one of them.
“Because of Black Jim.”
A silence followed.
“Is he in there?”
“No, but he wants no one else to come in while he’s gone.”
They parleyed.
“Shall we chance it?”
“Not me!”
“Why not?”
“Let’s see his woman.”
“Sure. Seein’ her doesn’t do no harm.”
“Who’s in there?”
“It’s the pal he brought up.”
“Are we goin’ to act like a bunch of short horns?” asked a deeper voice. “I’m goin’ in!”
A dozen men broke into the room. At the first stir of the door Jerry dropped prone to the blankets and feigned sleep. The crowd gathered first about Montgomery, searching him with curious eyes.
“Here’s the new lamb,” said a lithe white-faced man, and he grinned over yellow teeth. “Here’s another roped for the brandin’. Let pass on him now, boys!”
A chuckle which rang heavily on the heart of Montgomery ran around the circle, but though his soul was lead in him, his art came to his rescue. After all, this was merely a part to be played. It was a dangerous part, indeed, but with a little effort he should be able to pass before an uncritical audience. He leaned back against the wall and smiled at the group. It required every ounce of his courage to manage that smile.
“Look me over, boys,” he responded, “take a good long look, and in case you’re curious, maybe you’ll find something interesting on my right hip!”
He broke off the smile again. For one instant the scales hung in the balance. What he said might have been construed as a threat, but the smile took the sting out of his words. After all, a man who had been passed by Black Jim himself had some rights among them.
“You’re a cool one, all right,” grinned a man who was bearded like a Russian, with his shirt open, and a great black, hairy chest partially exposed, “but where’d you get that color? Been doing inside work?”
“Mac,” said Montgomery, easily, for the last remark gave him courage, “and some of the boys call me ‘Silent Mac.’ I’m a bit off color, all right. That’s because some legal gents got interested in me. They got so damned interested in me that they thought I shouldn’t be out in the sun so much. They thought maybe it was spoiling my complexion, see? They fixed a plant and sent me up the river to a little joint the government runs for restless people. Yep, I’ve just had a long rest cure, and now I’m ready for business!”
A low laugh of understanding ran around the group. A jailbird has standing in the shadow of the law.
“You’ll do, pal,” said the yellow-toothed one.
“You can enter the baby show, all right,” said another. “I’m the Doctor.”
“I’ve heard of you,” said Montgomery, as the crowd passed him to examine Jerry.
“Know anything about the calico?” asked one of Montgomery.
“Not a thing,” answered the latter carelessly, “except that Jim picked it off the stage.”
“And a damned bad job, too,” growled he of the beard. “Where’s he goin’ to fence her up in a corral like this?”
“Bad job your eye!” answered one who leaned far over to glance at her partially concealed face. “She’s a looker, boys—she’s a regular Cleopatra.”
They grouped closely around her.
“Wake her,” suggested one, “so’s we can size her up.”
One who stood closer stirred her rudely with his foot. She sat up yawning, rubbing her eyes, and smiled up to their faces.
“Turn me into a wall-eyed cayuse!” muttered one of them, but the others were silent while their eyes drank.
Montana Pete, with a mop of tawny hair falling low down on his forehead, dropped to a squatting position, the better to look into her eyes.
“Well, baby blue-eyes,” he grinned, “what d’you think of your new pals?”
“Oh,” she cried, with a semblance of pretty confusion, “I—I—where am I? Oh, I remember!”
“Boys,” said Montana Pete rising, “we ain’t the kind to have a king, but I’m all for a queen! What?”
“Sure,” said the Doctor. “There ain’t nothing like the woman’s touch to make a home.”
They roared with laughter.
“Look out! She’s remembering some more and here comes the waterfall!” called another.
Jerry, in order to get time to plan her campaign, broke into heart-rending sobs. The bearded man, who rejoiced in the name of Porky Martin, now came forward again.
“Lemme take care of her,” he said. “I had two mothers, six sisters, an’ fourteen sweethearts. I know all about women!”
He dropped to one knee and put his arm around her.
“Take it easy, kid. You’re runnin’ loose now an’ we’ll give you all the rope you want, except enough for hangin’ yourself. Look around you, kid, here’s enough men to make a jury and you got a home with every one. Am I right, boys?”
“Let me—alone!” wailed Jerry, and she shuddered under the caress.
“Huh!”
