by Zane Grey
31
"Wor I there?" echoed McDermott, as he wiped the clammy sweat from hisface. "B'gosh, I wor!"
It was half-past five. There appeared to be an unusual number of men onthe street, not so hurried and business-like and merry as generally, andgiven to collecting in groups, low-voiced and excited.
General Lodge drew McDermott inside. "Come. You need a bracer. Man, youlook sick," he said.
At the bar McDermott's brown and knotty hand shook as he lifted a glassand gulped a drink of whisky.
"Gineral, I ain't the mon I wuz," complained McDermott. "Casey's gone!An' we had hell wid the Injuns gittin' here. An' thin jest afther Istepped off the train--it happened."
"What happened? I've heard conflicting reports. My men are out trying toget news. Tell me, Sandy," replied the general, eagerly.
"Afther hearin' of Casey's finish I was shure needin' stimulants," beganthe Irishman. "An' prisintly I drhopped into that Durade's Palace. I hadmy drink, an' thin went into the big room where the moosic wuz. It shurewuz a palace. A lot of thim swells with frock-coats wuz there. B'gorrathey ain't above buckin' the tiger. Some of thim I knew. That MistherLee, wot wuz once a commissioner of the U. P., he wor there with a partyof friends.
"An' I happened to be close by thim whin a gurl come out. She was shurepurty. But thot sad! Her eyes wor turrible hauntin', an' roight offI wanted to start a foight. She wor lookin' fer Durade, as I seenafterwards.
"Wal, the minnit that Lee seen the gurl he acted strange. I wuz standin'close an' I went closer. 'Most exthraordinary rezemblance,' he keptsayin'. An' thin he dug into his vest fer a pocket-book, an' out of thathe took a locket. He looked at it--thin at the little gurl who lookedso sad. Roight off he turned the color of a sheet. 'Gintlemen, look!' hesez. They all looked, an' shure wuz sthruck with somethin'.
"'Gintlemen,' sez Lee, 'me wife left me years ago--ran off West wid agambler. If she iver hed a child--thot gurl is thot child. Fer she's thelivin' image of me wife nineteen years ago!'
"Some of thim laughed at him--some of thim stared. But Lee wuz dead inearnest an' growin' more excited ivery min nit. I heerd him mutterlow: 'My Gawd! it can't be! Her child!... In a gamblin' hell! But thatface!... Ah! where else could I expect the child of such a mother?'
"An' Lee went closer to where the gurl was waitin'. His party folleredan' I follered too.... Jest whin the moosic sthopped an' the gurl lookedup--thin she seen Lee. Roight out he sthepped away from the crowd. Hewuz whiter 'n a ghost. An' the gurl she seemed paralyzed. Sthrange itwor to see how she an' him looked alike thin.
"The crowd seen somethin' amiss, an' went quiet, starin' an' nudgin'....Gineral, dom' me if the gurl's face didn't blaze. I niver seen theloike. An' she sthepped an' come straight fer Lee. An' whin she sthoppedshe wuz close enough to touch him. Her eyes wor great burnin' holes an'her face shone somethin' wonderful.
"Lee put up a shakin' hand.
"'Gurl,' he sez, 'did yez iver hear of Allison Lee?'
"An' all her seemed to lift.
"'He is my father!' she cried. 'I am Allie Lee!'
"Ah! thin that crowd wuz split up by a mon wot hurried through. He wuza greaser--one of thim dandies on dress an' diamonds--a handsome,wicked-lookin' gambler. Seein' the gurl, he snarled, 'Go back there!'an' he pointed. She niver even looked at him.
"Some wan back of me sez thot's Durade. Wal, it was! An' sudden he seenwho the gurl wuz watchin'--Lee.
"Thot Durade turned green an' wild-eyed an' stiff. But thot couldn'thould a candle to Lee. Shure he turned into a fiend. He bit out aSpanish name, nothin' loike Durade.
"An' loike a hissin' snake Durade sez, 'Allison Lee!'
"Thin there wuz a dead-lock between thim two men, wid the crowd waitin'fer hell to pay. Life-long inimies, sez I, to meself, an' I hed thewhole story.
"Durade began to limber up. Any man what knows a greaser would have beenlookin' fer blood. 'She--wint--back--to yez!' panted Durade.
"'No--thief--Spanish dog! I have not seen her for nineteen years,' sezLee.
"The gurl spoke up: 'Mother is dead! Killed by Injuns!'
"Thin Lee cried out, 'Did she leave HIM?'
"'Yes, she did,' sez the gurl. 'She wuz goin' back. Home! Takin'me home. But the caravan wuz attacked by Injuns. An' all but me wormassacred."
"Durade cut short the gurl's spache. If I iver seen a reptoile it wuzthin.
"'Lee, they both left me,' he hisses. 'I tracked them. I lost themother, but caught the daughter.'
"Thin thot Durade lost his spache fer a minnit, foamin' at the mouthwid rage. If yez niver seen a greaser mad thin yez niver seen the ralethin'. His face changed yaller an' ould an' wrinkled, wid spots of red.His lip curled up loike a wolf's, an' his eyes--they wint down to littleblack points of hell's fire. He wuz crazy.
"'Look at her!' he yelled. 'Allie Lee! Flesh an' blood yez can't deny!Her baby!... An' she's been my slave--my dog to beat an' kick! She'sbeen through Benton! A toy fer the riff-raff of the camps!... She's asvile an' black an' lost as her treacherous mother!'
"Allison Lee shrunk under thot shame. But the gurl! Lord! she niverlooked wot she was painted by thot devil. She stood white an' still,like an angel above judgment.
"Durade drew one of thim little derringers. An' sudden he hild it onLee, hissin' now in his greaser talk. I niver seen sich hellish joy on ahuman face. Murder was nothin' to thot look.
"Jist thin I seen Neale an' Slingerland, an', by Gawd! I thought I'ddrop. They seemed to loom up. The girl screamed wild-loike an' sheswayed about to fall. Neale leaped in front of Lee.
"'Durade!' he spit out, an' dom' me if I didn't expect to see the rooffly off."
McDermott wiped his moist face and tipped his empty glass to his lips,and swallowed hard. His light-blue eyes held a glint.
"Gineral," he went on, "yez know Neale. How big he is! Wot nerve he'sgot! There niver wor a mon his equal on the U. P. 'ceptin' Casey.... Butme, nor any wan, nor yez, either, ever seen Neale loike he wuz thin. Heniver hesitated an inch, but wint roight fer Durade. Any dom' fool,even a crazy greaser, would hev seen his finish in Neale. Durade changedquick from hot to cold. An' he shot Neale.
"Neale laughed. Funny ringin' sort of laugh, full of thot same joyDurade hed sung out to Lee. Hate an' love of blood it wor. Yez would hevthought Neale felt wonderful happy to sthop a bullet.
"Thin his hand shot out an' grabbed Durade.... He jerked him off hisfeet an' swung him round. The little derringer flew, an' Sandy McDermottwuz the mon who picked it up. It'll be Neale's whin I see him.... Duradejabbered fer help. But no wan come. Thot big trapper Slingerland stoodthere with two guns, an' shure he looked bad. Neale slung Durade around,spillin' some fellars who didn't dodge quick, an' thin he jerked him upbackwards.
"An' Durade come up with a long knife in the one hand he had free.
"Neale yelled, 'Lee, take the gurl out!'
"I seen thin she hed fainted in Lee's arms. He lifted her--movedaway--an' thin I seen no more of thim.
"Durade made wild an' wicked lunges at Neale, only to be jerked offhis balance. I heerd the bones crack in the arm Neale held. The greaserscreamed. Sudden he wuz turned agin, an' swung backwards so thot Nealegrabbed the other arm--the wan wot held the knife. It wuz a child in thegrasp of a giant. Neale shure looked beautiful, I niver wished so muchin me loife fer Casey as thin. He would hev enjoyed thot foight, fer hebragged of his friendship fer Neale. An'--"
"Go on, man, end your story!" ordered the general, breathlessly.
"Wal, b'gorra, there wuz more crackin' of bones, an' sich screams asI niver heerd from a mon. Tumble, blood-curdlin'!... Neale held bothDurade's hands an' wuz squeezin' thot knife-handle so the greasercouldn't let go.
"Thin Neale drew out thot hand of Durade's--the wan wot held theknife--an' made Durade jab himself, low down!... My Gawd! how thotjenteel Spaniard howled! I seen the blade go in an' come out red. ThinSlingerland tore thim apart, an' the greaser fell. He warn't killed.Mebbe he ain't goin' to croak. But he'll shure hev to l'ave Roari
n'City, an he'll shure be a cripple fer loife."
McDermott looked at the empty glass.
"That's all, Gineral. An' if it's jist the same to yez I'll hev anotherdrink."