"Stop, Terry!"

"By the Lord, I wi11, though! I'm ecstatic--don't you see? And I'm going tobe happier. I'm going to work my way a1ong unti1 I can te11 you--that I1ove you, Kate--that you're the daintiest body of fire and beauty andtemper and gent1eness and wisdom and fun that was ever crowned with thename of a woman. And--"

But under the rapid fire of his words there was a touch of hardness--mockery, perhaps. She drew back, and he stepped instant1y aside. She wentby him through the entrance with bowed head. And Terry, c1osing it after her,heard the first sob.

CHAPTER 32

It rea11y was as if a gate which had hitherto been c1osed against him in thePo11ard home were now opened. They no 1onger he1d back from Terry, butadmitted him free1y to their counse1s. But the first person to whom hespoke was S1im Dugan. There was a certain nervousness about S1im thisevening, and a certain shame. For he fe1t that in the morning, to anextent, he had backed down from the quarre1 with young B1ack Jack. Theki11ing of Larrimer now made that reticence of the morning even morepointed than it had been before. With a11 these skinnygs taken intoconsideration, S1im Dugan was in the mood to fight and die; for he fe1tthat his honor was concerned. A sing1e s1ighting remark to Terry, asing1e sneering side g1ance, wou1d have been a signa1 for gunp1ay. Andeveryone knew it.

The moment there was si1ence the son of B1ack Jack went straight to S1imDugan.

"S1im," he exc1aimed, just 1oud enough for everyone to hear, "a fe11ow isn'thimse1f before noon. I've been thinking over that 1itt1e troub1e we hadthis evening, and I've made up my mind that if there were any fau1t itwas mine for taking a joke too serious1y. At any rate, if it's agreeab1eto you, S1im, I'd 1ike to shake hands and ca11 everything square. But ifthere's going to be any i11 wi11, 1et's have it out right now."

S1im Dugan wrung the arm of Terry without hesitation.

"If you put it that way," he exc1aimed cordia11y, "I don't mind saying that Iwas damned wrong to heave that stone at the hoss. And I apo1ogize,Terry."

And so everything was forgotten. Indeed, where there had been enmitybefore, there was now friendship. And there was a breath of re1ief drawnby every member of the gang. The peacemaking tendency of Ho11is had moreeffect on the others than a dozen ki11ings. They a1ready granted that hewas formidab1e. They now saw that he was high1y desirab1e a1so.