United States or Angola ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"There's a gang of outlaws operatin' in the Lamo country. Luke Deveny is the chief. It's generally known that Deveny's the boss, but he keeps his tracks pretty well covered, an' Sheriff Gage ain't been able to get anything on him. Likely Gage is scared of him, anyway. "Anyway, Gage don't do nothin'. Deveny's a bad man with a gun; there ain't his equal in the Territory.
Other thoughts came, flickered like feeble lights, and went out thoughts of what had happened to her at Lamo; a dull wonder over Meeder Lawson's presence in town when he should have been with the men on the range; speculation as to the whereabouts of the men why none of them had remained at the ranchhouse; and a sort of dumb, vague wonder over what her future would be.
She had not mentioned to him that she had a presentiment of evil, for she assured herself that she should have outgrown those puerile impulses of the senses. And yet, having watched him depart, she passed a sleepless night, and early the next morning had saddled her horse to ride to Lamo, there to await her father's return.
He was now leaning forward, a pout on his lips, watching Laskar with an intent, glowering gaze. "'Drag' Harlan!" shouted Laskar. His face lighted with a hideous joy as he watched the effect of his news. "'Drag' Harlan! Do you hear?" he went on. "'Drag' Harlan, the Pardo 'two-gun' man! He's headed toward Lamo.
Indeed, except for a pony standing in front of a saloon down the street a little distance, and several others hitched to a rail across the street, in front of the First Chance saloon, Lamo seemed to be deserted. And a silence, deep and portentous of evil, seemed to have settled over the town.
Their coarse laughter and coarser language had disgusted the girl, and she had avoided them all as much as possible. It was the first time she had remained overnight in the Eating-House lodging-rooms, though she had seen the building many times during her visits to Lamo.
He saw it now, in Harlan's eyes they were wanton in them was concentrated all the hate and contempt that Harlan felt for him. But back of it all was that iron self-control that Deveny had seen in the man when he had faced him in Lamo. Deveny had avoided Harlan since that day. He had known why and he knew at this minute.
So far as Harlan knew, no one in Lamo besides Sheriff Gage had watched the departure of himself and Barbara. And there had been no word spoken between the two as they rode away Lamo becoming at last an almost invisible dot in the great yawning space they left behind them.
Evidence of that passion had been revealed to Harlan at Lamo, by the attack on Barbara by Deveny's hireling Higgins; by the subtle advances of John Haydon. It seemed to Harlan that all of these men had been and were equally determined to possess the girl.
Haydon he had seen but a few times, and Deveny not at all. He learned from Rogers that Haydon spent most of his time upon mysterious missions which took him to Lamo, to Lazette, and to Las Vegas; and that Deveny operated from a place that Rogers referred to as the "Cache," several miles up the valley.
Word Of The Day