Gunman's Reckoning

by Max Brand

  31

  If Nelly Lebrun had consigned him mentally to the worms, that thoughtmade not the slightest impression upon Donnegan. A chance for action wasopening before him, and above all a chance of action in the eye of LouMacon; and he welcomed with open arms the thought that he would have anopportunity to strike for her, and keep Landis with her. He went arrowystraight and arrowy fast to the cabin on the hill, and he found ampleevidence that it had become a center of attention in The Corner. Therewas a scattering of people in the distance, apparently loitering with noparticular purpose, but undoubtedly because they awaited an explosion ofsome sort. He went by a group at which the chestnut shied, and asDonnegan straightened out the horse again he caught a look of bothinterest and pity on the faces of the men.

  Did they give him up so soon as it was known that Lord Nick had enteredthe lists against him? Had all his display in The Corner gone fornothing as against the repute of this terrible mystery man? His vanitymade him set his teeth again.

  Dismounting before the cabin of the colonel, he found that worthy inhis invalid chair, enjoying a sun bath in front of his house. But therewas no sign of Lord Nick--no sign of Lou. A grim fear came to Donneganthat he might have to attack Nick in his own stronghold, for Jack Landismight already have been taken away to the Lebrun house.

  So he went straight to the colonel, and when he came close he saw thatthe fat man was apparently in the grip of a chill. He had gathered avast blanket about his shoulders and kept drawing it tighter; beneathhis eyes, which looked down to the ground, there were violet shadows.

  "I've lost," said Donnegan through his teeth. "Lord Nick has been here?"

  The invalid lifted his eyes, and Donnegan saw a terrible thing--that thenerve of the fat man had been crushed. The folds of his face quivered ashe answered huskily: "He has been here!"

  "And Landis is gone?"

  "No."

  "Not gone? Then--"

  "Nick has gone to get a horse litter. He came up just to clear the way."

  "When he comes back he'll find me!"

  The glance of the colonel cleared long enough to survey Donnegan slowlyfrom head to foot, and his amusement sent the familiar hot flush overthe face of the little man. He straightened to his full height, which,in his high heels, was not insignificant. But the colonel was apparentlyso desperate that he was willing to throw caution away.

  "Compared with Lord Nick, Donnegan," he said, "you don't look half aman--even with those heels."

  And he smiled calmly at Donnegan in the manner of one who, havingescaped the lightning bolt itself, does not fear mere thunder.

  "There is no fool like a fat fool," said Donnegan with childishviciousness. "What did Lord Nick, as you call him, do to you? He'sbrought out the yellow, my friend."

  The colonel accepted the insult without the quiver of an eyelid.Throughout he seemed to be looking expectantly beyond Donnegan.

  "My young friend," he said, "you have been very useful to me. But Imust confess that you are no longer a tool equal to the task. I dismissyou. I thank you cordially for your efforts. They are worthless. You seethat crowd gathering yonder? They have come to see Lord Nick prepare youfor a hole in the ground. And make no mistake: if you are here when hereturns that hole will have to be dug--unless they throw you out for theclaws of the buzzards. In the meantime, our efforts have been wastedcompletely. I hadn't enough time. I had thrown the fear of sudden deathinto Landis, and in another hour he would have signed away his soul tome for fear of poison."

  The colonel paused to chuckle at some enjoyable memory.

  "Then Nick came. You see, I know all about Nick."

  "And Nick knows all about you?"

  For a moment the agate, catlike eyes of the colonel clouded and clearedagain in their unfathomable manner.

  "At moments, Donnegan," he said, "you have rare perceptions. That isexactly it--Nick knows just about everything concerning me. And so--rollyour pack and climb on your horse and get away. I think you may haveanother five minutes before he comes."

  Donnegan turned on his heel. He went to the door of the hut and threw itopen. Lou sat beside Landis holding his hand, and the murmur of hervoice was still pleasant as an echo through the room when she looked andsaw Donnegan. At that she rose and her face hardened as she looked athim. Landis, also, lifted his head, and his face was convulsed withhatred. So Donnegan closed the door and went softly away to his ownshack.

  She hated him even as Landis hated him, it seemed. He should have knownthat he would not be thanked for bringing back her lover to her with abullet through his shoulder. Sitting in his cabin, he took his headbetween his hands and thought of life and death, and made up his mind.He was afraid. If Lord Nick had been the devil himself Donnegan couldnot have been more afraid. But if the big stranger had been ten devilsinstead of one Donnegan would not have found it in his soul to run away.

  Nothing remained for him in The Corner, it seemed, except his positionas a man of power--a dangerous fighter. It was a less than worthlessposition, and yet, once having taken it up, he could not abandon it.More than one gunfighter has been in the same place, forced to act as apublic menace long after he has ceased to feel any desire to fight. Ofselfish motives there remained not a scruple to him, but there was stillthe happiness of Lou Macon. If the boy were taken back to Lebrun's, itwould be fatal to her. For even if Nelly wished, she could not teach hereyes new habits, and she would ceaselessly play on the heart of thewounded man.

  It was the cessation of all talk from the gathering crowd outside thatmade Donnegan lift his head at length, and know that Lord Nick had come.But before he had time to prepare himself, the door was cast open andinto it, filling it from side to side, stepped Lord Nick.

  There was no need of an introduction. Donnegan knew him by the aptnesswith which the name fitted that glorious figure of a man and by thecalm, confident eye which now was looking him slowly over, from head tofoot. Lord Nick closed the door carefully behind him.

  "The colonel told me," he said in his deep, smooth voice, "that you werewaiting for me here."

  And Donnegan recognized the snakelike malice of the fat man in drawinghim into the fight. But he dismissed that quickly from his mind. He wasstaring, fascinated, into the face of the other. He was a reader of men,was Donnegan; he was a reader of mind, too. In his life of battle he hadlearned to judge the prowess of others at a glance, just as a musiciancan tell the quality of a violin by the first note he hears played uponit. So Donnegan judged the quality of fighting men, and, looking intothe face of Lord Nick, he knew that he had met his equal at last.

  It was a great and a bitter moment to him. The sense of physicalsmallness he had banished a thousand times by the recollection of hisspeed of hand and his surety with weapons. He had looked at menmuscularly great and despised them in the knowledge that a gun or aknife would make him their master. But in Lord Nick he recognized hisown nerveless speed of hand, his own hair-trigger balance, his owndeadly seriousness and contempt of life. The experience in battle wasthere, too. And he began to feel that the size of the other crushed himto the floor and made him hopeless. It was unnatural, it was wrong, thatthis giant in the body should be a giant in adroitness also.

  Already Donnegan had died one death before he rose from his chair andstood to the full of his height ready to die again and summoning hisnervous force to meet the enemy. He had seen that the big man hadfollowed his own example and had measured him at a glance.

  Indeed the history of some lives of action held less than theconcentrated silence of these two men during that second's space.

  And now Donnegan felt the cold eye of the other eating into his own,striving to beat him down, break his nerve. For an instant panic gothold on Donnegan. He, himself, had broken the nerve of other men by theweight of his unaided eye. Had he not reduced poor Jack Landis to atrembling wreck by five minutes of silence? And had he not seen otherbrave men become trembling cowards unable to face the light, and allbecause of that terrible power which lies in the eye of some? H
e foughtaway the panic, though perspiration was pouring out upon his foreheadand beneath his armpits.

  "The colonel is very kind," said Donnegan.

  And that moment he sent up a prayer of thankfulness that his voice wassmooth as silk, and that he was able to smile into the face of LordNick. The brow of the other clouded and then smoothed itself deftly.Perhaps he, too, recognized the clang of steel upon steel and knew themetal of his enemy.

  "And therefore," said Lord Nick, "since most of The Corner expectsbusiness from us, it seems much as if one of us must kill the otherbefore we part."

  "As a matter of fact," said Donnegan, "I have been keeping that inmind." He added, with that deadly smile of his that never reached hiseyes: "I never disappoint the public when it's possible to satisfythem."

  "No," and Lord Nick nodded, "you seem to have most of the habits of anactor--including an inclination to make up for your part."

  Donnegan bit his lip until it bled, and then smiled.

  "I have been playing to fools," he said. "Now I shall enjoy adiscriminating critic."

  "Yes," remarked Lord Nick, "actors generally desire an intelligentaudience for the death scene."

  "I applaud your penetration and I shall speak well of you when thisdisagreeable duty is finished."

  "Come," and Lord Nick smiled genially, "you are a game little cock!"

  The telltale flush crimsoned Donnegan's face. And if the fight had begunat that moment no power under heaven could have saved Lord Nick from thefrenzy of the little man.

  "My size keeps me from stooping," said Donnegan, "I shall look up toyou, sir, until the moment you fall."

  "Well hit again! You are also a wit, I see! Donnegan, I am almost sorryfor the necessity of this meeting. And if it weren't for the audience--"

  "Say no more," said Donnegan, bowing. "I read your heart and appreciateall you intend."

  He had touched his stock as he bowed, and now he turned to the mirrorand carefully adjusted it, for it was a little awry from the ride; butin reality he used that moment to examine his own face, and the set ofhis jaw and the clearness of his eye reassured him. Turning again, hesurprised a glint of admiration in the glance of Lord Nick.

  "We are at one, sir, it appears," he said. "And there is no other wayout of this disagreeable necessity?"

  "Unfortunately not. I have a certain position in these parts. People areapt to expect a good deal of me. And for my part I see no way out excepta gunplay--no way out between the devil and the moon!"

  Astonishment swept suddenly across the face of the big man, forDonnegan, turning white as death, shrank toward the wall as though hehad that moment received cold steel in his body.

  "Say that again!" said Donnegan hoarsely.

  "I said there was no way out," repeated Lord Nick, and though he kepthis right hand in readiness, he passed his left through his red hair andstared at Donnegan with a tinge of contempt; he had seen men buckle likethis at the last moment when their backs were to the wall.

  "Between--" repeated Donnegan.

  "The devil and the moon. Do you see a way yourself?"

  He was astonished again to see Donnegan wince as if from a blow. Hislips were trembling and they writhed stiffly over his words.

  "Who taught you that expression?" said Donnegan.

  "A gentleman," said Lord Nick.

  "Ah?"

  "My father, sir!"

  "Oh, heaven," moaned Donnegan, catching his hands to his breast. "Oh,heaven, forgive us!"

  "What the devil is in you?" asked Lord Nick.

  The little man stood erect again and his eyes were now on fire.

  "You are Henry Nicholas Reardon," he said.

  Lord Nick set his teeth.

  "Now," he said, "it is certain that you must die!"

  But Donnegan cast out his arms and broke into a wild laughter.

  "Oh, you fool, you fool!" he cried. "Don't you know me? I am thecripple!"