Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-19
A Bad Man.

Durnin walked over to Allisons table. The
marshal had a forty-five pointed at Clay's
heart as he stroled over to Allison's table.
I've been hearin',' remarked Durnin,
quiet-like, that you had some idea OF
leadn' me aroun' Durango hull lot by
my ears said the marshal leaning his left
hand on the table. and keeping the forty
five pointed at Allisons breast with his
right.
THE man from the Pecos country looked
up quietly into Durnin's face.
Who are you? he asked Durnin. L
don't know YOU
ut was true that Allison had never seen
Durnin before, but there isn't any doubt
that he knew who the marshal was when
he saw the gun pointing his way.
Durnin's my name said the marshal
about you, and the last thing l heard was
this thing about your prop sition t lead me
aroun' tn public square O. Durango by
these tabs at the side O my head. So that
you won't think In case anythin' happens.
that you got some tn worst of 1t, want t
tell you that I've had you under the gun,
from behind that ptition, for the last half
hour But I'm givin' you chance now.
Was them remarks O. yours, made down
yonder in tn Pecos. c'rectly quotedT
"'Well,' replied Clay, coolly splitting at a
crack in the floor. you can't believe all you
hear, podner. but, since you show signs O.
bein some inquisitive-
Disarmed tho Marshal.
Like the dab OF q cats paw. Allison
reached over and caught the wrist of Dur
Minis hand that held the gun. A man OF
a bulls strength. he leaped over the table
and twisted that wrist of Durnin's until
the marshal had to drop the gun to the
floor and gasp with the pain. Allison kick
ed the gun into corner, and snatched the
other gun out of the n1arshafs belt. Dur
min was completely disarmed and at the
u,aroy of the man from the PeCOS.
".As I was sayin'.' went on Allison. con-
tinung the sentence that he had begun be-
fore putting Durnin utterly at his mercy,
Since you show signs O. bein' some inQuisi-
tive. WY. yes, did say that was a-goin'
4 lead YOU aroun' Durango by tn ears
few, an that's Jest what I'm a-goin' t do!
.'Then Allison put his knee In the small OF
the helpless marshal's back. grabbed him
from behind by both ears, kneed him for
ward and out of the saloon, and in that
way he prodded Marshal Sam Durnin. a
bad man himself. all over the streets Of
Durango, which the camp looked on and
said nothing, the affair being plainly none
of the camps business.
"The edge was all against Clay Allison
in that incident, but he had made the hike
to Durango to transact a certain bit of
business that he had on his mind, and he
wasn't deferred from transacting that piece
Of business because he couldn't see any
chance for him to get a shade the best OF
the situation. He took a long-shotter's
punt that he might be able to get by and
switch the dice when the marshal had him
under the gun that way, and 1t was only
his quickness and luck that pulled him
through. But he didn't consider those ele-
ments but just went ahead and won out
when the odds were way against him. The
disgraced marshal drilled out of Durango
before the next daylight. unable to stay
along and face the shame of the thing that
Clay Allison had put on him. Allison went
back to the Pecos country after finishing the
Job he had started out for, and only year
afterward met so measley and onnery q
death az falling from q freighter's six-mule