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It was not Haydon's plan to let Deveny know he knew of the affair, or that he cared about it if he had heard. And so he did not mention it. But in his heart was a rage that made his thoughts venomous; though he concealed his emotions behind the bland, smooth smile of good-natured tolerance. "I'll handle him, Deveny," he said as he took leave of the other.
She sent the horse away, walking him for a dozen yards or more, until he crossed the little level and sank into a shallow depression in the trail. Still looking back, she saw that none of the men had changed position that they seemed to be more intent upon Harlan and Deveny. And she could hear Harlan's voice, now, low, husky.
Barbara Morgan had fought Deveny until she became exhausted. Thereafter she lay quiet, breathing fast, yielding to the nameless terror that held her in its icy clutch. The appearance of Deveny so soon after the end of the heartbreaking ride down the trail had brought into her heart a sense of the futility of resistance and yet she had resisted, involuntarily, instinctively.
He grinned coldly as he leaned easily against the stable door; for men of the Deveny type always aroused him their personality had always seemed to strike discord into his soul; had always fanned into flame the smoldering hatred he had of such men; had always brought into his heart those savage impulses which he had sometimes felt when he was on the verge of yielding to the urge to become what men had thought him and what they still thought him a conscienceless killer.
The girl was alert to detect a certain expression in his eyes a gleam that would tell her what she half feared that the motive that had brought him with her was like that which had caused Deveny to hold her captive. But she could detect no such expression in Harlan's eyes, she could see a quizzical humor in his glances at times, or frank interest, and there were times when she saw a grim pity.
For it seemed to her that Deveny had spoken truthfully. She had seen the incident of the broken chain; she had seen Harlan's hypocritical grin upon that occasion how he had seemed to be eager to ingratiate himself with Haydon. All were against her everybody. Everybody, it seemed, but Red Linton. And they had killed Linton.
From the shelving trail, ever sweeping toward the trail in the valley, Colver had noted the halt at the covert, though he had not seen Barbara, nor Stroud. He had seen, of course, that Deveny had not gone to the Rancho Seco, that for some reason or other he had swerved, taking the trail up the valley.
"One man an' a led horse," he said shortly. "Looks like Laskar." Deveny big, smooth-shaven with black, glowing, attractive eyes that held a glint quite as hard as that which shone in the eyes of the speaker, looked long out of the window at a moving dot on the desert, which seemed to be traveling toward them.
Thinks he can match your gunplay itchin' for trouble bound to have it out with you. We was at the Cache last night, an' I heard him an' Deveny yappin' about it. Deveny's back of him he's sore about the way you handed it to him in Lamo. Keep your eyes peeled; they're pullin' it off pretty soon. Latimer's doin' the shootin' he's tryin' to work himself up to it. Be careful." "I'm thankin' you."
But the sudden ending of the affair brought again into her consciousness the recollection of her own peril, and when she saw Deveny cross the street she broke from the man's restraining grasp and ran to Harlan, convinced that he because he seemed to be antagonistic toward the forces arrayed against her would protect her.
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