"
The old man's eyes lighted up like a leaping flame.
"Will you let Dave out and give him a Winchester and help us fight
'em?" he said eagerly. "We three can whip 'em all."
"No," said Hale shortly. "I'd try to keep both sides from
fighting, and I'd arrest Dave or you as quickly as I would a
Falin."
The average mountaineer has little conception of duty in the
abstract, but old Judd belonged to the better class--and there are
many of them--that does. He looked into Hale's eyes long and
steadily.
"All right."
Macfarlan came in hurriedly and stopped short--seeing the hatted,
bearded giant.
"This is Mr. Tolliver--an uncle of Dave's--Judd Tolliver," said
Hale. "Go ahead."
"I've got everything fixed--but I couldn't get but five of the
fellows--two of the Berkley boys. They wouldn't let me tell Bob."
"All right. Can I summon Mr. Tolliver here?"
"Yes," said Macfarlan doubtfully, "but you know---"
"He won't be seen," interrupted Hale, understandingly. "He'll be
at a window in the back of that store and he won't take part
unless a fight begins, and if it does, we'll need him."
An hour later Devil Judd Tolliver was in the store Hale pointed
out and peering cautiously around the edge of an open window at
the wooden gate of the ramshackle calaboose.
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