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Page 48
"I'm glad to hear that," Tom nodded. "It's the effect of taking good
advice, not the result of orders."
Some of the masked listeners stirred impatiently.
"It's all the same," Jim growled. "Your men don't come into town, and
Paloma suffers from the loss of that much business."
"I'm sorry to hear it."
"So this committee," the gambler went on, "has instructed me to inform
you that your immediate departure from Paloma will be necessary if you
care to go on living."
"I can't go just yet," Tom declared, with a shake of his bead. "My work
here at Paloma isn't finished."
"Your work will be finished before the night is over, if you don't
accept our orders to leave town," growled Duff.
"Dear me! Is it as bad as that?" queried Reade.
"Worse, as you'll find! What's your answer, Reade?"
"All I can say then," Tom replied innocently, "is that it is too bad."
Clip! Jim Duff bent forward, administering a smart cuff against the
right side of the sitting engineer's face.
"Don't do that!" warned Tom, leaping lithely to his feet. He faced the
gambler coolly, but the lad's muscles were working under the sleeves of
his shirt.
Duff drew back three steps, after which he faced the boy, eyeing him
steadily.
"Reade, you've heard what we have to say to you. That you can't go on
living in Paloma. Are you ready to give us your word to leave Paloma
before daylight, and never come back?"
"No," Tom replied flatly.
"Then," sneered the gambler, fixing the gaze of his snake-like eyes on
the young chief engineer, "I'll tell you what we have provided for you.
We shall take you to the edge of the town, at once, and there hang you
by the neck to a tree. After you've ceased squirming we'll fasten this
card to you."
From another man present Jim snatched a printed card, bearing this
legend:
"Gone, for the good of the community!"
CHAPTER XIV
THE COUNCIL OF THE CURB
"How soon are you going to carry out your plans?" Reade demanded.
"Then you won't leave Paloma?"
"I certainly won't--as far as my own decision goes," Reade replied
firmly. "Furthermore, I should feel the utmost contempt for myself if I
allowed you to drive me away from here before my work is completed."
"You're a fool!" hissed Duff.
"And you're a gambler," Tom shot back. "If you won't change your trade,
why should you expect me to change mine?"
"I reckon, gentlemen," said Duff, turning to the others present, "that
there's no use in wasting any more time with this fellow. He'd rather
be hanged to a tree than take good advice. If the rest of you agree
with me, I propose that we take the cub to his tree at once."
Several spoke in favor of this plan. Tom, seeing this, felt his heart
sink somewhat within him, though he was no more inclined than before to
accede to the demands of the rascals.
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