CHAPTER XXIII
TAKING FENCES
"'Lo, Peaches."
Peaches Austin, standing at the Starlight bar, was raising a glass tohis lips. But at the greeting he set down the liquor untasted, turnedhis head, and looked into the face of Racey Dawson.
"Whatsa matter, Peaches?" inquired Racey. "You don't look glad to seeme."
"I ain't," Peaches said, frankly. "I don't give a damn about seein'you."
"I'm sorry," grieved Racey, edging closer to the gambler. "Peaches,yo're breaking my heart with them cruel words."
At this the bartender removed hastily to the other end of the bar. Hesensed he knew not what, and he felt instead of curiosity a livelyfear. Racey Dawson was the most unexpected sport.
Peaches looked nervously at Racey. A desperate resolve began toformulate itself in the brain of Peaches Austin. His right arm tensed.Slowly his hand slid toward the edge of the bar.
"Why, no," said Racey, who had never been more wide-awake than at thatmoment, "I wouldn't do anything we'd all be sorry for, Peaches. Thatis, all of us but you yoreself. You might not be sorry--or anythin'else."
This was threatening language, plain and simple. But it was no bluff.Peaches knew that Racey meant every word he said. Peaches' right handmoved no farther.
"Peaches," said Racey, "le's go where we can have a li'l privatetalk."
"All right," Peaches acquiesced, shortly, and left the saloon withRacey.
On the sidewalk they were joined by Swing Tunstall. The latter fellinto step on the other side of Peaches Austin.
"Is he coming, too?" queried the gambler, with a marked absence ofcordiality in expression and tone.
"He is," answered Racey.
"I thought this talk was gonna be private."
"It is--only the three of us. We wouldn't think of letting anybodyelse horn in. You can rest easy, Peaches. We'll take care of you."
The gambler didn't doubt it. His wicked heart sank accordingly. Heknew that he had been a bad, bad boy, and he conceived the notion thatNemesis was rolling up her sleeves, all to his ultimate prejudice.
He perceived in front of the dance hall Doc Coffin and Honey Hoke, andplucked up heart at once. But Racey saw the pair at the same time, andsaid, twitching Peaches by the sleeve, "We'll turn off here, I guess."
Peaches turned perforce and accompanied Racey and Swing into thenarrow space between the express office and a log house. When theycame out into the open Racey obliqued to the left and piloted hiscompanion to a large log that lay among empty tin cans, almostdirectly in the rear of and about fifty yards away from Dolan'swarehouse.
"Here's a good place," said Racey, indicating the log. "Good seats,plenty of fresh air, and nobody round to bother us. Sidown, Peaches."
Peaches sat as requested. The two friends seated themselves one on hiseither hand. Racey laughed gently.
"Doc Coffin and Honey looked kind of surprised to see you with us," heremarked with enjoyment, "didn't they, Peaches?"
"I didn't notice," lied Peaches.
"It don't matter," nodded Racey. "See that pile of dirt over againstthe back wall of Dolan's warehouse, Peaches?"
"I ain't blind."
"No, then maybe you've heard how and why it come to be dug and all?"
"I ain't deaf, neither."
Racey smiled his approval. "I always said you had all yore sensesexcept the common variety, Peaches."
"Hop ahead with yore private talk," grunted the badgered gambler.
"Gimme time, gimme time. It don't cost anything. Whadda you think ofthat hole, Peaches?"
"Good big hole," replied Peaches, conservatively.
"Too big--that is, too big for just McFluke, or for any other fellerthe size of McFluke."
"What of it?"
"Don't be in a hurry, Peaches, and you'll last longer. Did you knowMac's handcuffs were picked open?"
"How--picked open?"
"Whoever opened 'em didn't use a key," Racey explained. "They werepicked open with a piece of bale-wire and a collar-needle."
"I heard that."
"I thought maybe so. But did you ever think that a feller has gotto have a good and clever pair of hands to pick a lock with only acollar-needle and bale-wire?"
"All that stands to reason," admitted Peaches.
"There can't be a great many fellers like that. No, not many--notaround here, anyway. You'll find such sports in the big citiesmainly."
"Yeah," chipped in Swing Tunstall, staring hard at Peaches, "I'll betyou a hundred even they ain't more than one or two such experts in thewhole territory."
"Whadda you think, Peaches?" inquired Racey.
"Swing may be right," said Peaches, preserving a wooden countenance."I dunno."
"Shore about that?" Sharply.
"Shore I'm shore. Why not?"
"You looked sort of funny when you said it. Well, then, Peaches, we'llgo back to our hole yonder. It's reasonable to suppose that fellershustlin' to dig it and without any too much time wouldn't make it anybigger than they had to. How about it, huh?"
"Guess so, maybe."
"Aw right, I told you a while ago the hole was too big for McFluke.Why was it made too big for McFluke?"
"Damfino."
"So as to let in the feller who was to pick open Mac's handcuffs."
"Well, what does that prove?"
"It proves that the expert who set Mac loose was a bigger man acrossthe shoulders than McFluke. Now who all around here, besides KansasCasey, is wider across the shoulders than McFluke?"
Peaches wrinkled his forehead. "I dunno," he said after a space.
"Think again, Peaches, think again. Don't you know anybody who'sbigger sidewise than McFluke?"
"I don't. Mac's the biggest man across the shoulders I ever seen."
"Good enough, Peaches. I've found out what I wanted. I had a fair ideabefore, but now I know. I hear you were acting boisterious and noisyout front of the dance hall last night?"
"What of it?"
"Oh, nothin', nothin' a-tall. Only I'd think it over--I'd thinkeverythin' over good an careful, and after I'd done that I'd do whatlooked like the best thing to do--under the circumstances. That's all,Peaches. You can go now. I think yore friends are looking for you. Isaw Doc Coffin peekin' round the corner of the dance hall a couple oftimes."
Peaches arose and faced Racey Dawson and Swing Tunstall. "I--" hebegan, and stopped.
"I--" prompted Swing.
"I what?" smiled Racey. "Speak right out, Peaches. Don't you care ifyou do hurt our feelin's. They're tough. They can stand it. Say what'son yore mind."
But Peaches did not say what was on his mind. He turned about andwalked hurriedly away.
"So it _was_ Jack Harpe who picked the cuffs," murmured Racey."Peaches, old timer, I didn't think you'd be so easy."
"Neither did I," said Swing. "And him a gambler. No wonder he ain'tdoin' so well."
The Heart of the Range Page 23