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Page 76
"Go--back--to her?" questioned Dick, as the meaning of the phrase
slowly dawned upon him.
"Yes," said Jack, holding out his hands. "Go back with clean
hands to Echo Allen. It is you she loves. There's my horse up
yonder. Beyond, there're the pack-mule loaded with water and
grub. Plenty of water. We'll just change places, that's all.
You take them and go back to her and I'll stay here."
Dick walked toward the spring, but, a spell of weakness came over
him and he almost sank to the ground. Jack caught him and held
him up.
"It would be justice," muttered Dick, as if apologizing for his
acceptance of Jack's renunciation.
Leaning over his shoulder, Jack said: "Sure, that's it, justice.
Just tell her I tried to work it out according to my lights--ask
her to--forgive, to forgive, that's all."
Jack took off his canteen and threw the strap around Dick's neck.
As Lane weakly staggered toward the mouth of the canon, where the
horse had been staked out, Jack halted him with a request:
"There's another thing; I left home under a cloud. Buck McKee
charged me with holding up and killing 'Ole Man' Terrill for
three thousand dollars. Tell Slim Hoover how you paid me just
that sum of money."
"I will, and I'll fix the murder where it belongs, and then fix
the real murderer."
Jack stepped to Lane's side and, holding out his hand, said:
"Thank you. I don't allow you can forgive me?"
"I don't know that I could," coldly answered Dick.
"You'd better be going."
Again Dick started for the horse, but a new thought came to him.
Pausing, he said. "She can't marry again until--"
"Well?" asked Jack; his voice was full of sinister meaning, and
he fingered his gun as he spoke.
Dick realized at once that Jack's plan was to end his life in the
desert with a revolver-shot.
"You mean to--" he shuddered.
Jack drew his gun. "Do you want me to do it here and now?" he
cried.
Staggering over to him the weakened man grappled with his old
friend, trying to disarm him. "No, no, you sha'n't!" he shouted,
as Jack shook him free.
"Why not?" demanded Jack. "Go. There's my horse--he's yours--
go! When you get to the head of the canon, you'll hear and
know--know that she is free and I have made atonement."
"Why should I hesitate?" argued Dick with himself. "I wanted to
die. I came here in the desert to make an end of it all, but when
I met death face to face, the old spirit of battle came over me,
and fought it back, step by step. Now--now you come and offer me
more than life--you offer to restore to me all that made life
dear, all that you have stolen from me by treachery and fraud.
Why should I hesitate? She is mine, mine in heart, mine by all
the ties of love--mine by all its vows--I will go back, I will
take your place and leave you here--here in this land of dead
things, to make your peace with God!"
Beads of sweat broke out on Jack's forehead as he listened. He
bit his lips until they bled. Clenching his fingers until the
nails sank into the palms of his hands, he cried warningly in his
agony: "I wouldn't say no more, if I was you. Go--for God's
sake, go!"
Dick slowly moved toward the mouth of the canon, still
hesitating.
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