With that he p'inted his .45 at me and his beard bristled like the whiskers of a old timber wolf.
'So you know me, hey?' he said. 'Well, what you goin' to do about it, hey? Want to colleck the reward money, hey?'
'Naw, I don't,' I says. 'I'm a outlaw myself, now. I just run foul of the law account of these skunks. They's a posse right behind me.'
'They is?' he snarled. 'Why'nt you say so? Here, le's catch these fellers' hosses and light out. Cheapskates! They claims I double-crossed 'em in the matter of a stagecoach hold-up we pulled together recent. I been avoidin' 'em 'cause I'm a peaceful man by nater, but they rode onto me onexpected awhile ago. They shot down my hoss first crack; we been tradin' lead for more'n a hour, without doin' much damage, but they'd got me eventually, I reckon. Come on. We'll pull out together.
'No, we won't,' I said. 'I'm a outlaw by force of circumstances, but I ain't no murderin' bandit.'
'Purty particular of yore comperny, ain'tcha?' he sneered. 'Well, anyway, help me catch me a hoss. Yore's is still up thar on that bluff. The day's still young--'
He pulled out a big gold watch and looked at it; it was one which wound with a key.
I jumped like I was shot. 'Where'd you git that watch?' I hollered.
He jerked up his head kinda startled, and said: 'My grandpap gimme it. Why?'
'You're a liar!' I bellered. 'You taken that off'n my Uncle Garfield. Gimme that watch!'
'Air you crazy?' he yelled, going white under his whiskers. I plunged for him, seeing red, and he let bang! and I got it in the left thigh. Before he could shoot again I was on top of him and knocked the gun up. It banged but the bullet went singing up over the bluff and Cap'n Kidd squealed with rage and started changing ends. The pistol flew outa Cairn's hand and he hit hit me vi'lently on the nose which made me see stars. So I hit him in the belly and he grunted and doubled up; and come up with a knife out of his boot which he cut me acrost the boozum with, also in the arm and shoulder and kicked me in the groin. So I swung him clear of the ground and throwed him down headfirst and jumped on him with both boots. And that settled his hash.
I picked up the watch where it had fell, and staggered over to the cliff, spurting blood at every step like a stuck hawg.
'At last my search is at a end!' I panted. 'I can go back to Ellen Reynolds who patiently awaits the return of her hero--'
It was at this instant that Cap'n Kidd, which had been stung by Cairn's wild shot and was trying to buck off his saddle, bucked hisself off the bluff. He fell on me....
The first thing I heard was bells ringing, and then they turned to hosses galloping. I sot up and wiped off the blood which was running into my eyes from where Cap'n Kidd's left hind shoe had split my sculp. And I seen Sheriff Hopkins, Jackson and Partland come tearing around the ridge. I tried to get up and run, but my right laig wouldn't work. I reched for my gun and it still wasn't there. I was trapped.
'Look there!' yelled Hopkins, plumb wild-eyed. 'That's Bixby on the ground--and all his gang! And ye gods, there's Joel Cairn! What is this, anyway? It looks like a battle-field! What's that settin' there? He's so bloody I cain't rekernize him!'
'It's the hillbilly!' yelped Jackson. 'Don't move or I'll shoot'cha!'
'I already been shot,' I snarled. 'Gwan--do yore wust. Fate is agen me.'
They dismounted and stared in awe.
'Count the dead, boys,' said Hopkins in a still, small voice.
'Aw,' said Partland, 'ain't none of 'em dead, but they'll never be the same men again. Look! Bixby's comin' to! Who done this, Bixby?'
Bixby cast a wabbly eye about till he spied me, and then he moaned and shrivelled up. 'He tried to sculp me!' he wailed. 'He ain't human!'
They all looked at me, and all taken their hats off.
'Elkins,' says Hopkins in a tone of reverence, 'I see it all now. They fooled you into thinkin' they was the posse and we was the outlaws, didn't they? And when you realized the truth, you hunted 'em down, didn't you? And cleaned 'em out single-handed, and Joel Cairn, too, didn't you?'
'Well,' I said groggily, 'the truth is--'
'We understand,' Hopkins soothed. 'You mount tain men is all modest. Hey, boys, tie up them outlaws whilst I look at Elkins' wounds.'
'If you'll catch my hoss,' I said, 'I got to be ridin' back--'
'Gee whiz, man!' he said, 'you ain't in no shape to ride a hoss! Do you know you got five busted ribs and a fractured arm, and one laig broke and a bullet in the other'n, to say nothin' of bein' slashed to ribbons? We'll rig up a litter for you. What's that you got in yore good hand?'
I suddenly remembered Uncle Garfield's watch which I'd kept clutched in a death grip. I stared at what I held in my hand; and I fell back with a low moan. All I had in my hand was a bunch of busted metal and broken wheels and springs, bent and smashed plumb beyond recognition.
'Grab him!' yelled Hopkins. 'He's fainted!'
'Plant me under a pine tree, boys,' I murmured weakly. 'Just kyarve onto my tombstone: 'He fit a good fight but Fate dealt him the joker.''
A few days later a melancholy procession wound its way up the trail to Bear Creek. I was being toted on a litter. I told 'em I wanted to see Ellen Reynolds before I died, and to show Uncle Garfield the rooins of the watch so he'd know I done my duty as I seen it.
When we'd got to within a few miles of my home cabin, who should meet us but Jim Braxton, which tried to conceal his pleasure when I told him in a weak voice that I was a dying man. He was all dressed up in new buckskins and his exuberance was plumb disgustful to a man in my condition.
'Too bad,' says he. 'Too bad, Breckinridge. I hoped to meet you, but not like this, of course. Yore pap told me to tell you about yore Uncle Garfield's watch if I seen you. He thought I might run into you on my way to Chawed Ear to git a licence--'
'Hey?' I said, pricking up my ears.
'Yeah, me and Ellen Reynolds is goin' to git married,' he says. 'Well, as I started to say, seems like one of them bandits which robbed the stage was a feller whose dad was a friend of yore Uncle Garfield's back in Texas. He rekernized the name in the watch and sent it back, and it got here the day after you left--'
They say it was jealousy which made me rise up on my litter and fracture Jim Braxton's jawbone. I denies that. I stoops to no sech petty practices. What impelled me was family conventions. I couldn't hit Uncle Garfield; I had to hit somebody; and Jim Braxton jest happened to be the only man in rech.
Chapter V - A GENT FROM BEAR CREEK
'YOU,' says my sister Ouachita, p'inting a accusing finger at me, 'ought a be shot for the way you treat Glory McGraw!'
'Don't mention that gal's name to me,' I says bitterly. 'I don't want to hear nothin' about her. Don't talk to me about her--why you think I ain't treated her right?'
'Well,' says Ouachita, 'after they brung you back from Chawed Ear lookin' like you'd been through a sorghum mill, Glory come right over when she heered you was hurt. And what did you do when she come through the door?'
'I didn't do nothin',' I says. 'What'd I do?'
'You turnt over towards the wall,' says Ouachita, 'and you says, says you: 'Git that woman outa here; she's come to t'ant me in my helpless condition!''
'Well, she did!' I said fiercely.
'She didn't!' says Ouachita. 'When she heered you say them words, she turnt pale, and she turnt around and walked outa the cabin with her head up in the air, not sayin' a word. And she ain't been back since.'
'Well, I don't want her to,' I says. 'She come over here jest to gloat on my misery.'
'I don't believe no such,' says Ouachita. 'First thing she says, was: 'Is Breckinridge hurt bad?' And she didn't say it in no gloatin' way. She come over here to help you, I bet, and you talked to her like that! You ought to be ashamed.'
'You mind yore own business,' I advised her, and got up and got outa the cabin to get some peace and quiet.
I went towards the creek aiming to do a little fishing. My laig had knit proper and quick, and that had been
