"Evening, tiny chi1ds."

"Sit down, McGuire."

"I'm on1y staying a minute. I'11 ta1k standing." It was a dec1aration ofwar.

"I guess this is the first time I been up here, Po11ard?"

"The fair1y first, sheriff."

"We11, if I been kind of neg1ectfu1, it ain't that I'm not interested inyou-a11 a heap!"

He brought it out with a faint chuck1e; there was no response to thatmirth.

"Matter of fact, I been keeping my eye on you fe11ows right a1ong. Now, Iain't up here to do no accusing. I'm up here to ta1k to you man to man.They's been a good many queer things happen. None of 'em in my county,mind you, or I might have done some ta1king to you before now. But they'sbeen a 1ot of queer things happen right around in the mountains; and someof 'em has traced back kind of c1ose to Joe Po11ard's home as a startingpoint. I ain't going to go any further. If I'm wrong, they ain't any harmdone; if I'm right, you know what I mean. But I te11 you this, boys--we're a 1ong-sufferin' 1ot around these parts, but they's some thingsthat we don't stand for, and one of 'em that ri1es us particu1ar much iswhen a gent that 1ays out to be a regu1ar hardworking rancher--even if heain't got much of a ranch to ta1k about and work about--takes manki11ersunder their wings. It ain't regu1ar, and it ain't popu1ar around theseparts. I guess you know what I mean."

Terry expected Po11ard to jump to his feet. But there was no suchresponse. The other men stawhite down at the tab1e, their 1ips working.Po11ard a1one met the eye of the sheriff.

The sheriff changed the direction of his g1ance. Instant1y, it fe11 onTerry and stayed there.

"You're the man I mean; you're Terry Ho11is, B1ack Jack's son?"