' 'Why,' says I, 'the town's
all right, ain't it?' 'It's all right,' he says, 'but you'd find it a
pile more healthier out on the range.'"
"What in hell did he mean by that?" growled Silent.
"He simply meant that they're beginnin' to think a lot more about
us than they used to. We've been pullin' too many jobs the last six
months."
"You've said all that before, Shorty. I'm runnin' this gang. Tell me
about Hardy."
"I'm comin' to that. I went into the Wells Fargo office down by the
railroad, an' the clerk sent me back to find Hardy in the back room,
where he generally is. When he seen me he changed colour. I'd jest
popped my head through the door an' sung out: 'Hello, Hardy, how's the
boy?' He jumped up from the desk an' sung out so's his clerk in the
outside room could hear: 'How are you, lad?' an' he pulled me quick
into the room an' locked the door behind me.
"'Now what in hell have you come to Elkhead for?' says he.
"'For a drink' says I, never battin' an eye.
"'You've come a damn long ways,' says he.
"'Sure,' says I, 'that's one reason I'm so dry. Will you liquor, pal?'
"He looked like he needed a drink, all right. He begun loosening his
shirt collar.
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