XVI + 

The sun was high and the room was hot when I woke to the familiar sound of someone knocking on the door. This time it was one of the volunteer guards⁠—the long-legged boy who had carried the warning to Peery Monday night. + 

“Gyp wants t’ see yuh.” The boy’s face was haggard. “He wants yuh more’n I ever seen a man want anything.” + 

Rainey was a wreck when I got to him. + 

“I killed him! I killed him!” he shrieked at me. “Bardell knowed the Circle H.A.R. would hit back f’r Slim’s killin’. He made me kill Nisbet an’ stack th’ deal agin Peery so’s it’d be up t’ you t’ go up agin ’em. He’d tried it before an’ got th’ worst of it! + 

“Gimme a shot! That’s th’ God’s truth! I stoled th’ rope, planted it, an’ shot Nisbet wit’ Bardell’s gun when Bardell sent him back there! Th’ gun’s under th’ tin-can dump in back o’ Adderly’s. Gimme th’ shot! Gimme it!” + 

“Where’s Milk River?” I asked the long-legged boy. + 

“Sleepin’, I reckon. He left along about daylight.” + 

“All right, Gyp! Hold it until the doc gets here. I’ll send him right over!” + 

I found Dr. Haley in his house. A minute later he was carrying a charge over to the hypo. + 

The Border Palace didn’t open until noon. Its doors were locked. I went up the street to the Canyon House. Milk River came out just as I stepped up on the porch. + 

“Hello, young fellow,” I greeted him. “Got any idea which room your friend Bardell reposes in?” + 

He looked at me as if he had never seen me before. + 

“S’pose you find out for yourself. I’m through doing your chores. You can find yourself a new wet nurse, Mister, or you can go to hell!” + 

The odor of whisky came out with the words, but he wasn’t drunk enough for that to be the whole explanation. + 

“What’s the matter with you?” I asked. + 

“What’s the matter is I think you’re a lousy⁠—” + 

I didn’t let it get any farther than that. + 

His right hand whipped to his side as I stepped in. + 

I jammed him between the wall and my hip before he could draw, and got one of my hands on each of his arms. + 

“You may be a curly wolf with your rod,” I growled, shaking him, a lot more peeved than if he had been a stranger, “but if you try any of your monkey business on me, I’ll turn you over my knee!” + 

Clio Landes’ thin fingers dug into my arm. + 

“Stop it!” she cried. “Stop it! Why don’t you behave?” to Milk River; and to me: “He’s sore over something this morning. He doesn’t mean what he says!” + 

I was sore myself. + 

“I mean what I said,” I insisted. + 

But I took my hands off him, and went indoors. Inside the door I ran into sallow Vickers, who was hurrying to see what the rumpus was about. + 

“What room is Bardell’s?” + 

“214. Why?” + 

I went on past him and upstairs. + 

My gun in one hand, I used the other to knock on Bardell’s door. + 

“Who is it?” came through. + 

I told him. + 

“What do you want?” + 

I said I wanted to talk to him. + 

He kept me waiting for a couple of minutes before he opened. He was half-dressed. All his clothes below the waist were on. Above, he had a coat on over his undershirt, and one of his hands was in his coat pocket. + 

His eyes jumped big when they lit on my gun. + 

“You’re arrested for Nisbet’s murder!” I informed him. “Take your hand out of your pocket.” + 

He tried to look as if he thought I was kidding him. + 

“For Nisbet’s murder?” + 

“Uh-huh. Rainey came through. Take your hand out of your pocket.” + 

“You’re arresting me on the say-so of a hophead?” + 

“Uh-huh. Take your hand out of your pocket.” + 

“You’re⁠—” + 

“Take your hand out of your pocket.” + 

His eyes moved from mine to look past my head, a flash of triumph burning in them. + 

I beat him to the first shot by a hairline, since he had wasted time waiting for me to fall for that ancient trick. + 

His bullet cut my neck. + 

Mine took him where his undershirt was tight over his fat chest. + 

He fell, tugging at his pocket, trying to get the gun out for another shot. + 

I could have jumped him, but he was going to die anyhow. That first bullet had got his lungs. I put another into him. + 

The hall filled with people. + 

“Get the doctor!” I called to them. + 

But Bardell didn’t need him. He was dead before I had the words out of my mouth. + 

Chick Orr came through the crowd, into the room. + 

I stood up, sticking my gun back in its holster. + 

“I’ve got nothing on you, Chick, yet,” I said slowly. “You know better than I do whether there is anything to get or not. If I were you, I’d drift out of Corkscrew without wasting too much time packing up.” + 

The ex-pug squinted his eyes at me, rubbed his chin, and made a clucking sound in his mouth. + 

His gold teeth showed in a grin. + 

“ ’F anybody asks for me, you tell ’em I’m off on a tour,” and he pushed out through the crowd again. + 

When the doctor came, I took him up the hall to my room, where he patched my neck. The wound wasn’t much, but my neck is fleshy, and it bled a lot⁠—all over me, in fact. + 

After he had finished, I got fresh clothes from my bag and undressed. But when I went to wash, I found the doctor had used all my water. Getting into coat, pants and shoes, I went down to the kitchen for more. + 

The hall was empty when I came upstairs again, except for Clio Landes. + 

She went past me without looking at me⁠—deliberately not looking at me. + 

I washed, dressed, and strapped on my gun. One more angle to be cleaned up, and I would be through. I didn’t think I’d need the .32 toys any more, so I put them away. One more angle, and I was done. I was pleased with the idea of getting away from Corkscrew. I didn’t like the place, had never liked it, liked it less than ever since Milk River’s break. + 

I was thinking about him when I stepped out of the hotel⁠—to see him standing across the street. + 

I didn’t give him a tumble, but turned toward the lower end of the street. + 

One step. A bullet kicked up dirt at my feet. + 

I stopped. + 

“Go for it, fat boy!” Milk River yelled. “It’s me or you!” + 

I turned slowly to face him, looking for an out. But there wasn’t any. + 

His eyes were insane-lighted slits. His face was a ghastly savage mask. He was beyond reasoning with. + 

“Put it away!” I ordered, though I knew the words were wasted. + 

“It’s me or you!” he repeated, and put another bullet into the ground in front of me. “Warm your iron!” + 

I stopped looking for an out. Blood thickened in my head, and things began to look queer. I could feel my neck thickening. I hoped I wasn’t going to get too mad to shoot straight. + 

I went for my gun. + 

He gave me an even break. + 

His gun swung down to me as mine straightened to him. + 

We pulled triggers together. + 

Flame jumped at me. + 

I smacked the ground⁠—my right side all numb. + 

He was staring at me⁠—bewildered. I stopped staring at him, and looked at my gun⁠—the gun that had only clicked when I pulled the trigger! + 

When I looked up again, he was coming toward me, slowly, his gun hanging at his side. + 

“Played it safe, huh?” I raised my gun so he could see the broken firing-pin. “Serves me right for leaving it on the bed when I went downstairs for water.” + 

Milk River dropped his gun⁠—grabbed mine. + 

Clio Landes came running from the hotel to him. + 

“You’re not⁠—?” + 

Milk River stuck my gun in her face. + 

“You done that?” + 

“I was afraid he⁠—” she began. + 

“You⁠—!” + 

With the back of an open hand, Milk River struck the girl’s mouth. + 

He dropped down beside me, his face a boy’s face. A tear fell hot on my hand. + 

“Chief, I didn’t⁠—” + 

“That’s all right,” I assured him, and I meant it. + 

I missed whatever else he said. The numbness was leaving my side, and the feeling that came in its place wasn’t pleasant. Everything stirred inside me.⁠ ⁠… + 