The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-02-03

high bar stretched across the farther
side of the room. The left end, as they
faced the bar, was brought around to
escape a small window opening on
court or patio to the rear of the room.
Back of the bar itself, about midway,
low door in the ttare wall gave en-
| trance to a rear rom. Aside from
this the room presented nothing but
walls. Two windows thanking the front
door helped to light it, but not mir
ror, picture, chair table, bottle or
glass was to be seeh. De Spain COW
cred every feature dt the interior at a
glance. "Quiet aroU1d here, John," he
remarked casually.
"This is the quietest place in the
Rocky mountains moSt of the time. But
when it is noisy, Believe me, it is
noisy. Look at the bullet holes In the
walls"
"The old story" remarked De Spain,
inspecting with mild-f3annered interest
the punctured plastering, "they always
shoot high"
He walked over to the left end of the
| bar, noting the hard usage shown by
the ornate mahogany, and spreading
his hands wide open, palms down, on
the face Of it, glanced ut the low win
dow on his left, opening on the gray
eled patio. He peered. in the semi
darkness, at the battered door behind
the bar.
| Henry" observed Lefever, 'if you
are looking for drink, it would only
be fair, as well as polite, to call the
Mexican"
De Spain, turning, looked all
around the room again. "You wouldn't
think he said slowly, from looking at
the place there was a road-agent with
in a thousand miles"
"You wouldn't think, from riding
through the Superstition mountains
there was lion within a thousand
miles. I've hunted them for eleven
years, and never saw one except
when the dogs drove 'em out; but for
eleven years they saw me. If we
haven't been seen coming in here by
some of this Calabasas bunch, miss
my guess" declared Lefever cheer
fully.
The batten door behind. the bar now
began to open slowly and noiselessly.
Lefever peered through 1t. "Come in,
Pedro" he cried reassuringly, "come
in, man. This is no officer no revenue
agent looking for your license. Meet
friend, Pedro" he continued encour-
agingly, as the swarthy publican, low
! browed and sullen, emerged very de-
liberately from the inner darkness into
the obscurity Of the barroom, and bent
his one good eye searchingly on De
Spain. "This," Lefever's left hand lay
Familiarity on the back of De SPANS
shoulder, "is our new manager, Mr.
Henry de Spain. Henry, shake hands
with Mexico"
This invitation to shake hands
seemed an empty Formally. De Spain
never shook hands with anybody; at
least If he did so, he extended, through
habit long Injured, his left hand, with
an excuse for the soreness of his right.
Pedro did not even bat his remaining
eye at the invitation. The situation, as
, Lefever faceiously remarked, re-
manned about where it was before he
spoke, when the sound Of galloping
horses came through the open door. A
] moment later three men walked, sin
gle file, into the room. De Spain stood
at the left end of the bar and Leftover
introduced him to Gale Morgan, to
David Sassoon, and to Sassoon's crony,
Deaf Sandusky, as the new stage-line
manager. The later arrivals lined up
before the bar, Sandusky next to Lee
!, fever and De Spain, so he could hear
|, what was said. Pedro from his den
: produced two queer-looking bottles and
, supply of glasses.
, "De Spain," Gale Morgan began
bluDtly, zone Of our men was put off q
stage of yours last week by Frank FL
paso." lie spoke without any pre-
J liminary compliments, and his heavy
: voice was bellicose.
r De Spain, regarding him undis-
g turbed, answered after a little pause
/ 'Elpaso told me he put man off his
stage last week for fighting"
r mo-" contradicted Morgan loudly
t mot for fighting. Elpaso was drunk"
/ WHATS the name of the mar Ell
j paso put off, Johnf" asked De Spain
looking at Leftover.
1 Morgan hooked his thumb toward
: the man standing at his side. Heres
D the man right here, Dave Sassoon."
e Sassoon never looked a man in the
r face when the man looked at him, ex
{ cept by Implication; it was almost i'm
nnssihln. without Srrnrising him tf