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"You see," he said, "that I am not particularly desirous of being instrumental in causing Doubler's death you have misjudged me." Dakota's eyes met his with a glance of perfect knowledge. His smile possessed a subtly mocking quality which was slightly disconcerting to Langford. "I reckon you'll be an angel give you time," he said. "I am accepting that proposition, though," he added.
Did he tell you about Langford coming to see him? I reckon not," he added as he caught Doubler's blank stare; "he'd likely not tell you about it. But I reckon that if he was your friend he'd tell you. I reckon you told him about Langford wanting your land about him telling you he'd make things hot for you?" Doubler nodded silently, and Duncan continued.
She did not intend to shield Dakota; the fact that Doubler had not been killed outright did not lessen the gravity of the offense in her eyes. "Before you found Doubler!" Langford's voice came with a vicious snap. "You met him coming from Doubler's cabin, I suppose?" "Yes," she answered wearily, "I met him coming from there. I was on the trail going there and I heard the shot.
"You didn't stay long at Doubler's shack," he said. "I was on a ridge, back on the trail a ways, and I saw you hitting the breeze away from there some rapid. I was thinking to intercept you, but you went tearing by so fast that I didn't get a chance. You're in an awful hurry. What's wrong?" "You ought to know that," she said, bitterly angry because of his pretended serenity. "You you murderer!"
"That's correct," admitted Langford; "I want Doubler's land." There was a silence for a few minutes, while Langford watched Dakota furtively as the latter gave his entire attention to his saddle. "You've got all the rest of those things you spoke about, then happiness, money, and such?" said Dakota presently, in a low voice. "Yes. I am pretty well off there." "All you want is Doubler's land?"
He caught Duncan's nod and smiled slowly. "I reckon you're some off your range," he said. "There ain't no comparin' Dakota to you he's always been my friend." "A man's got a friend one day and he's an enemy the next," said Duncan mysteriously. "Meanin'?" "Meaning that Dakota ain't so much of a friend as you think he is." Doubler's lips grew straight and hard.
The blow had been a glancing one, however, and Allen had recovered quickly, seizing Doubler's rifle and trying to bring down the would be murderer as he fled.
The latter's anxiety to relieve her of the task of riding to Lazette for the doctor had been spurious; he had merely wanted to be the first to carry the news of Doubler's death to Langford, and after leaving her he had undoubtedly taken a roundabout trail for the Double R. Possibly by this time he had settled with Langford and was on his way out of the country.
"I always had a heap of faith in Dakota's judgment," he said. And then, when Langford's face flushed with a realization of the subtle insult, Allen said gruffly: "You say Doubler's dead?" "I don't remember to have said that to you," returned Langford, his voice snapping with rage. "What I did say was that Duncan saw him killed and came to me with the news. I sent him for you.
There is no reason now why I should lie, and so I want you to know that I am telling the truth when I say that I didn't shoot Doubler. Won't you believe me?" "No," she returned, unaffected by the earnestness in his voice. "You were at Doubler's cabin when I heard the shot I met you on the trail. You killed that man, Blanca, over in Lazette, for nothing.
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