"For heaven's
sake, go at once! Forget Alcatraz--forget the mares--but start at
once, Mr. Perris!"
Even a blind man might have guessed many things from the tremor of
her voice. Lew Hervey saw enough to make his eyes contract to the
brightness of a ferret's as he glanced from the girl to handsome Jim
Perris. But the red-headed adventurer was quite blind, quite deaf.
No matter how the thing had been done, he knew that the girl and the
foreman were now both combined to drive him from the ranch, from
Alcatraz. For a moment of blind anger he wanted to crush, kill,
destroy. Then he turned on his heel and strode towards the arch which
led into the patio.
"Mind you!" called Lew Hervey in warning. "It's on your own head,
Perris. If you don't leave, I'll throw you off!"
Red Jim flashed about under the shade of the arch.
"Come get me, and be damned," he said.
And then he was gone. The cowpunchers, furious at this open defiance
of them all, boiled out into the patio, growling.
"You see?" said Hervey to the girl. "He won't be satisfied till
there's a killing!"
"Keep them back!" she pleaded. "Don't let them go, Mr. Hervey. Don't
let them follow him!"
One sharp, short order from Hervey stopped the foremost as they ran
for the entrance.
Pages:
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208