|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 76
As for Ashby, who, still clutching his shotgun in his left hand,
staggered along under the burden of Hazelton's weight, the hotel man was
no longer responsible for his actions. Rage and wickedness had made him
a maniac, who might be restrained but could not be punished by law.
Within two minutes the firing behind them died out. Soon there were
distant sounds of searching. Plainly Hawkins and the other friends of
the young engineers were hunting diligently for Tom and Harry.
"Dump your man, Ashby," commanded Jim Duff, halting at last. "It will
be a mistake to go too far. Their friends won't expect to find 'em so
close, and they'll soon be searching farther away."
So Ashby dropped Harry on to the sand beside Tom. Then the wickedest
possible gleam came into the hotel man's eyes as he loaded his shotgun.
"We'll fill 'em full of lead right here and now," whispered the hotel
keeper. "Then we'll be sure that they can't get away from us again."
"Not so fast!" retorted Duff warningly. "We can't shoot now. If we do,
there'll be no way to get out of this alive. Look yonder!"
Duff swung his mad friend around, pointing to a gleam of light that
shone out over the desert.
"An automobile," muttered the gambler. "And there's another--and
another! There must be six or eight of them out to-night, and all of 'em
crammed with fighting men. A shot would bring two or three carloads of
ugly fellows down upon us."
"What are we going to do, then?" demanded the hotel keeper, in a
menacing tone.
"Wait awhile," urged the gambler. "You're seeing what the plan of the
enemy is. They're circling about, but they're further out from the
gully than we are. The cars will go on cutting larger and larger
circle, and all the time getting farther away from us. In half an hour
the cars and the men will be so far away that we need give no thought to
them. Then we can attend to Reade and Hazelton."
"What are you going to do with them?" demanded Ashby in a whisper, his
cunning eyes lighting with a fire of added eagerness.
"We'll get 'em awake, first of all," nodded Jim Duff. "Then we'll
attend to them."
"Remember, they ruined my business!" whispered the hotel man.
"Well, didn't they ruin my business, too?" snarled Duff. "Didn't they
cant like a pair of hypocrites, and turn hundreds of their workmen
against coming in to play in my place? Didn't these young hounds keep
me from winning thousands of dollars of railroad money? Ash, I tell
you, these young fellows have hit me hard! First, they broke up my
games. Next, they talked their men out of going into Paloma and
spending money for drink. Why, Ash, next thing you know, they would have
brought missionaries to Paloma to convert men and to build churches!"
As Ashby glared at the unconscious boys from under his black brows he
looked as though he believed them capable of all the wickedness that Jim
Duff's imagination had charged against them.
"I can't wait!" groaned the hotel man. "Just one barrel of shot apiece
into each of 'em!"
"No, no, no, Ash! Haven't I always been your good friend?"
"You surely have, Jim Duff," admitted the mad hotel man. "You're the
one man alive to-night that I'd trust."
"Then trust me a little further," coaxed the gambler virtuously. "Trust
to my brains tonight, George, and you'll feast on revenge!"
"But you keep me waiting so long for it!" complained the lunatic.
"Don't you trust me, George?"
"You know I do, Jim Duff."
"Then trust me a little longer. Be quiet, and be patient."
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|