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He busied himself now with the mechanism of a huge revolver one that the stage-driver, Frank Elpaso, had wrecked on the head of a troublesome negro coming in from the mines. De Spain in turn took off his hat, poked the crown discontentedly, and, rising with a loss of amiability in his features and manner, walked out of the room. The late sun was streaming down the full length of Main Street.
No one neither Lefever, Scott, Frank Elpaso, nor McAlpin looked up when de Spain walked into the room and, with the night man tiptoeing behind, advanced composedly toward the group. Even then his presence would have passed unnoticed, but that Bob Scott's ear mechanically recorded the limping step and transmitted to his trained intelligence merely notice of something unusual.
He looked severely at de Spain: "Discharge Elpaso." De Spain, his hands resting on the bar, drew one foot slowly back. "Not on the showing I have now," he said. "One of the passengers who joined in the statement is Jeffries, the railroad superintendent at Sleepy Cat." "Expect a railroad superintendent to tell the truth about a Calabasas man?" demanded Sassoon.
They're some bunch and they stick for one another like hornets, and all hold together in a fight. So I don't want any man to ride in there with me thinking he's going to a wedding. He isn't. He may or may not be going to a funeral, but he's not going to a shivaree." Frank Elpaso glanced sourly at his companions. "I guess everybody here is wise, John."
But it was to a finish and blamed if at first it didn't scare me. I thought it might be Henry. Hang it, get down and see for yourselves, boys." Elpaso answered his invitation with an inquiry. "Who was this fellow fighting with?" "That, also, is a question. Certainly not with Henry de Spain, because the other fellow, I think, was using soft-nosed bullets.
Elpaso, in the end, justified his old reputation by making a recovery haltingly, it is true, and with perilous intervals of sinking, but a recovery. It was while he still lay in the hospital and hope was very low that de Spain and Lefever rode, one hot morning, into Calabasas and were told by McAlpin that Sassoon had been seen within five minutes at the inn.
In all Thief River disturbances, whether a raid on cattlemen, a stage hold-up, a gun fight, or a tedious war of words, the Calabasas men, sometimes apparently for the mere maintaining of prestige, appeared to take leading rôles. After de Spain's declaration the grievance against Elpaso was made a general one along the line.
The later arrivals lined up before the bar, Sandusky next to Lefever and de Spain, so he could hear what was said. Pedro from his den produced two queer-looking bottles and a supply of glasses. "De Spain," Gale Morgan began bluntly, "one of our men was put off a stage of yours last week by Frank Elpaso." He spoke without any preliminary compliments, and his heavy voice was bellicose.
But by and far, I don't think John and me is ten dollars apart, year in and year out. Look at that bay, sir! A month ago Elpaso said that horse was all in look at him now. I manage to keep things up." "What did you say," asked de Spain indifferently, "had been the matter with Nan Morgan?" Her name seemed a whole mouthful to speak, so fearful was he of betraying interest.
Sassoon never looked a man in the face when the man looked at him, except by implication; it was almost impossible, without surprising him, to catch his eyes with your eyes. He seemed now to regard de Spain keenly, as the latter, still attending to Morgan's statement, replied: "Elpaso tells a pretty straight story." "Elpaso couldn't tell a straight story if he tried," interjected Sassoon.
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