The Coming of the Law

by Charles Alden Seltzer

  CHAPTER XXV

  HANDLING THE LAW

  Norton opened the door a trifle and called "One man at a time!" Therewere some hoarse shouts from without--presumably from Dunlavey'sfriends; a chorus of derisive laughter from Allen's. Then the first manentered.

  It was Ace. The poet stood for an instant, blinking at the light, thenhe grinned as his gaze rested on the occupants of the room. He wasdirected how to cast his ballot. He took the piece of paper that wasgiven him by Norton, scrawled "Allen" across it with a pencil thatNorton had previously placed on the table, and dropped the paper intoDunlavey's hat. Hollis opened the rear door for him, but he halted onthe threshold, looking back into the room with a broad grin.

  "Gawd A'mighty!" he said in an awed tone; "there must have been a wad ofmoney blowed in in this here town to-day! Drunks! Man alive there ain'tnothin' but drunks; the town's reelin' with 'em! They're layin' in thestreet; there's a dozen in the Silver Dollar an' that many more in theFashion--an' Gawd knows how many more in the other saloons. Their headsis under the tables; they're hangin' on the walls an' clawin' around inspittoons--gle-or-i-ously, be-ut-i-fully paralyzed!"

  He was suddenly outside, pushed through the door by Hollis, and the doorclosed after him. Hollis glanced furtively at Dunlavey to see thatgentleman scowl. He thought he saw a questioning glint in Allen's eyesas the latter looked suddenly at him, but he merely smiled and gave hisattention to the next man, who was now entering.

  The latter proved to be Lemuel Train. He did his voting quietly andgrimly. But as he went out through the door that Hollis opened for himhe growled: "Lordy, what a drunken bunch!" He looked at Hollis. "One ofyour men, too," he said, grinning slightly. "I thought you taught thembetter!"

  Hollis frowned. He knew that Allen would need all his friends; none ofthem could be spared in this crisis. He smiled incredulously. It hadbeen only a short time before that his men had accompanied him to thedoor of the sheriff's office. At that time they were perfectly sober. Itwould have been impossible for any of them--

  "An' Ten Spot's a hummer when he gits started," Train was saying. "I'veseen him before when he cut loose an' he sure is a holy terror!"

  Then with a word of parting Train was gone, saying that he had done allthe "damage" he could and that he purposed "hitting" the trail back tohis ranch.

  He had certainly done some damage to Hollis. The latter's mind nowrioted with all sorts of conjecture and he mechanically did his work ofletting man after man out through the rear door, scarcely seeing them.

  He was aware of an odd expression that had come into Dunlavey's eyes atthe mention of Ten Spot. Had Dunlavey succeeded in bribing Ten Spot todesert him? He had left Ten Spot at the Circle Bar, not inviting him toDry Bottom because he felt that the latter would rather not come sincehe had deserted Dunlavey. And Ten Spot had come to town anyway. What didit mean? Did it mean that Ten Spot had come to assist Dunlavey innominating Watkins and defeating his new employer?

  He frowned again, and for the next few minutes gravely studiedDunlavey's face. He was sure that the latter's manner had changed. Themocking smile which had been on his face since his arrival at thesheriff's office had been superseded by a huge grin--plainly ofanticipation. Ten Spot--dangerous, reckless, drunk, at the head of anumber of dissolute men, had it in his power to make things decidedlyinteresting should he advance on the sheriff's office with the intentionof assisting Dunlavey.

  Several times since hiring Ten Spot Hollis had doubted him. Thesuspicion had assailed him that perhaps the appearance of Ten Spot atthe Hazelton cabin so opportunely had been a part of a plot by Dunlaveyto place a spy in his employ. They might have purposely sacrificed Yuma.

  During the next quarter of an hour he gave more attention to Dunlaveythan to the steady stream of men that passed through the room, though herecognized a goodly number as friends he had made during the latter daysof the drought.

  Allen's spirits had risen during the last quarter of an hour. Hismaneuver had dissipated Dunlavey's strength and it was plain to be seenthat a majority of the votes cast were for him. If nothing unusual orunexpected happened within the next hour, or until nine o'clock, thehour named in Watkins's proclamation for the closing of the polls, hewas assured of victory.

  Thoughts of the same character were passing through Hollis's mind. Therewas silence in the office. A man was voting at the table--writing hisfavorite's name on a piece of paper. Hollis consulted his watch. Itlacked over an hour of the time for closing. The man at the tablefinished writing and tossed the paper into the hat. Hollis opened therear door to allow him to go out. While the door remained open a soundfloated in, which they all heard--an ear-splitting screech, followedinstantly by a chorus of yells, a pistol report, more yells, and then anumber of reports.

  Norton did not open the door. He exchanged glances with Hollis andAllen. Dunlavey grinned widely.

  "Something's coming," remarked Allen grimly.

  Dunlavey's grin grew derisive. "It would sure be too bad if my friendsshould bust up this peace meeting," he sneered.

  "There won't be nothin' spoiled," grimly assured Allen. But he drew hisother six-shooter.

  The sounds outside grew in volume as they swept toward the sheriff'soffice. They broke presently at the door and an ominous silencesucceeded. Then a voice reached the interior--harsh authoritative--TenSpot's voice.

  "Open up, you damned shorthorns!" it said.

  Norton looked at Allen. The latter's face was pale. "They come in," hedirected, "like the others--one at a time."

  Norton carefully withdrew the bar with which the door was fastened,swinging it open slightly. As he did so there was a sudden rush ofbodies; Norton tried to jam the door shut, failed, and was flung backseveral steps by the surging, yelling crowd that piled tumultuously intothe room.

  There were perhaps twenty of them and as they surged into the room,shouting and cursing and laughing Hollis recognized among them many menthat he had come to know by sight. They were of the reckless, lawlesselement upon which Dunlavey had relied for his support--men of TenSpot's character. They had been drinking, but in spite of their laughterand loud talking it was plain to be seen that they had determined not tobe balked in the purpose which had brought them into the office.

  There was now no need to guard the door; the damage had been wrought,and Norton backed away, leaving the door ajar, pale, grim eyed, alert,ready to take an active part in the trouble which he felt certain wassure to develop. Something in the faces of the men who had come in withTen Spot proclaimed trouble.

  Allen had not moved. He still stood behind Dunlavey, but his weapons nolonger menaced the Circle Cross manager; their muzzles, level andforbidding, were covering the other men.

  Standing quietly beside the rear door, his face pale, his eyes bright,his lips in straight lines, Hollis watched closely as the visitors,having gained entrance, gathered together in the center of the room.They were not awed by Allen's weapons; they grinned hugely at him. Oneman, a young man of about Hollis's age, bronzed, lean, reckless of eye,and unmistakably under the influence of liquor, lunged forward to Allenand stood within arm's length of him, grinning at him.

  "Two guns!" he said with a laugh. "Why, I reckon you'd make a hell of asheriff!"

  A chorus of laughter greeted the young cowboy's words. Dunlavey grinnedwidely. "You boys are just in time," he said.

  There was another roar of laughter. Many of the men seemed only now tohave become aware of Dunlavey's presence and they surged forward aroundhim, disregarding Allen's guns. The latter seemed to realize that thesituation had passed beyond his control, for catching Hollis's eye hesmiled grimly and sheathed his weapons, seeking Hollis's side.

  "It's no use," he said shortly to Hollis as he came near; "they'll runthings to suit themselves now. I wasn't expectin' Ten Spot to butt intothe game."

  "I reckon they've got us." Norton had also sought Hollis's side and thethree stood near the rear door, watching the crowd around Dunlavey.Hollis tried to catch Ten Spot's gaze but failed--
the latter seemedstudiously to avoid him.

  A wave of dull anger surged through Hollis's veins. Until now thecontest had been conducted fairly; they had given Dunlavey and Watkinsan honest election, even though they had found it necessary to eliminatethem as active participants. From now on he was assured the contestwould be a joke--though a grim one. He had depended upon Allen'ssuccess--it meant much to him. The thought of failure just when victorywas within his grasp aroused him and in spite of Norton's low word ofcaution he stepped forward and stood beside the table on which reposedthe hat into which the ballots had been placed by the men who hadpreviously voted. He intended to take personal charge of the hat,determined upon securing a fair deal in spite of the great odds.

  As he stepped forward he saw Greasy grin maliciously and try to snatch agun from the holster of a cowboy who stood near him. This attempt wasfrustrated by the puncher, who suddenly dropped his hand to his holster,where it closed upon Greasy's. The puncher snarled, muttered profanely,and struck furiously at Greasy, knocking him down in a corner.

  Other men moved. There were curses; the flashing of metal as guns cameout. Hollis felt rather than saw Norton and Allen advance toward thetable and stand beside him. A grim smile wreathed his face over theknowledge that in the crowd there were at least two men upon whom hemight depend to the end--whatever the end might be.

  He heard Dunlavey snarl an oath, saw his big form loom out of the crowd,saw one of his gigantic hands reach for the hat on the table.

  "I reckon I'll take charge of this now!" he sneered, his brutal faceclose to Hollis's.

  Hollis would have struck the face that was so close to his, but at theinstant he saw Dunlavey's hand reach out for the hat he saw another handdart out from the other side of the table, seize the hat, and draw itout of Dunlavey's reach.

  "I don't reckon that you'll take charge of her!" said a voice.

  Hollis turned quickly. Over the table leaned Ten Spot, the captured hatin his hand, a big forty-five in the other, a cold, evil glitter in hiseyes as he looked up at Dunlavey.

  "I don't reckon that you're goin' to have a hand in runnin' this showa-tall, Bill," he sneered. "Me an' my friends come down here special totend to that." He grinned the shallow, hard grin that marks the passingof a friendship and the dawn of a bitter hatred. "You see, Bill, me an'my friends has got sorta tired of the way you've been runnin' things an'we're shufflin' the cards for a new deal. This here tenderfoot whichyou've been a-slanderin' shameful is man's size an' we're seein' that hegits a fair shake in this here. I reckon you git me?"

  Hollis felt Norton poking him in the ribs, but he did not turn; he wastoo intent upon watching the two principal actors in the scene. Tragedyhad been imminent; comedy was slowly gaining the ascendency. For at theexpression that had come over Dunlavey's face several of the men weregrinning broadly. Were the stakes not so great Hollis would have feltlike smiling himself. Dunlavey seemed stunned. He stood erect, passinghis hand over his forehead as though half convinced that the scene werean illusion and that the movement of the hand would dispel it. Severaltimes his lips moved, but no words came and he turned, looking about atthe men who were gathered around him, scanning their faces for signsthat would tell him that they were not in sympathy with Ten Spot. Butthe faces that he looked upon wore mocking grins and sneers.

  "An' I've been tellin' the boys how you set Yuma on Nellie Hazelton, an'they've come to the conclusion that a guy which will play a low downmean game like that on a woman ain't no fit guy to have no hand in anylaw makin'."

  Ten Spot's voice fell coldly and metallically in the silence of theroom. Slowly recovering from the shock Dunlavey attempted a sneer, whichgradually faded into a mirthless smile as Ten Spot continued:

  "An' you ain't goin' to have a hand in any more law-makin' in this man'stown. Me an' my friends is goin' to see to that, an' my boss, Mr.Hollis. I reckon that'll be about all. You don't need to hang aroundhere while we do the rest of the votin'. Watkins an' Greasy c'n stay tosee that everything goes on regular." He grinned wickedly as Dunlaveystiffened. "I reckon you know me, Bill. I ain't palaverin' none. You an'Ten Spot is quits!"

  He stepped back a little, away from the table, his teeth showing in amocking grin. Then he looked down at the hat which he still held in hishand--Dunlavey's hat. He laughed. "Why, I'm cert'nly impolite!" he saidinsinuatingly. "Here you've been wantin' to go an' I've been keepin'your hat!" He dumped the ballots upon the table and passed the hat toDunlavey. Without a word Dunlavey took it, jerking it savagely, placedit on his head, and strode to the door, stepping down into the street.

  There was a short silence. Then Ten Spot turned and looked at Hollis,his face wreathed in a broad grin.

  "I reckon you-all think you know somethin' about handlin' the law," hesaid, "but your little Ten Spot ain't exactly the measliest card in thedeck! We'll do our votin' now."

  A quarter of an hour later, after Ten Spot and his friends had casttheir ballots and Watkins had been forced to make out a certificate ofnomination,--which reposed safely in Ben Allen's inside pocket--thekerosene lights were extinguished and the men filed out. Hollis and TenSpot were the last to leave. As they stood for a moment on the thresholdof the doorway Hollis seized Ten Spot's hand and gripped it heartily.

  "I want to thank you, my friend," he said earnestly.

  Ten Spot jerked his hand away. "Aw, hell!" he said as they sought thedarkness of the street, "I ain't mushin' none. But," he added, as aconcession to his feelings, "I reckon to know a white man when I seeone!"