'Oh, yeah, and Mr. I want you to make sure you talk about this. I the
whole town to know that there's just no way, no at all, the Stuart
spread is ever going to be up for sale.
understand me?' stayed silent for a long moment, then he be' You got it,
Lieutenant Slater. Damn, but it! Oh, excuse me, Tess.
I plumb forgot you were there!' amusing,' Tess said with a stiff smile.
'They'll know, all right, they'll know ... ' Mr. Barrymore was writing
quickly.
'I must hand it to you, Lieutenant, you do seem to know what you're
doing with property and the law. Though it ain't surprising, not one
bit. You sure do know what you're doing with those Colts of yours. Why,
in all my life, I've never seen anything like the shootin' you did in
the saloon the other night' -- 'Shooting?' Tess interrupted, sitting
straight. 'Oh, my, yes, you should have seen him! Some of those
hooligans of Mr. yon Heusen's come in and they were giving Hardy a bad
time, but the Lieutenant here, he stood right up to them.' Mr. Barrymore
slapped his hand hard on his desk and hooted with laughter.
'It was a joy to these weary eyes, Tess, it was! Didn't you tell Miss.
Stuart about it, Lieutenant? Hell--heck, boy, if it had been me, I'd
have told the whole damned--darned--world about it!'
'I didn't seem to have the chance, Mr. Barrymore. When I got home, a few
more of Mr. yon Heusen's boys were at the ranch.
And someone needed to tell those fellows that it wasn't a good thing to
play with matches.'
'You shot yon Heusen's men in the saloon?' Tess asked, staring at him.
'Sure,' Mr. Barrymore said cheerfully.
'Why, you would have heard about it if you'd gone into the paper, Tess.
The lieutenant was sitting with Ed Clancy and Dec?' Tess stood and
stared at Jamie.
'I think I'll take a little walk over to the Wiltshire Sun right now.
I'm sure, Lieutenant Slater, that you know exactly how you want
everything worded. Then Mr. Barrymore can draw up the papers and I will
come back and sign them. Excuse me, will you?'
Jamie and Mr. Barrymore both stood quickly, but Tess was already at the
door.
She stormed out, feeling her face red, wondering if she should be
furious with the man or if she should run back and kiss him. She wasn't
going to do 167 either--she was going to see Ed and find out exactly
what had happened.
She walked into the Wiltshire Sun office as if she were a battleship.
Harry, the printer, looked up from his plates.
Edward, at work at his desk, also looked up. The naked joy in his eyes
as he saw her made her first questions flee. He leaped up to hug her,
nearly breaking ~ery bone in her body.
'I knew you were all right, Tess, because I saw Slater.
But, girl, it does an old body good to see you!'
' Thank you, Edward, thank you!' she told him.
Harry, toothless and shy, was standing behind him.
'And you, too, Harry, come here. Let me give you a big, sloppy kiss
