The Irish standard., 1917-03-10
CHAPTER TX.
The Glass Button.

The Glass Button.
Even as the big fellow stepped light
" just inside and to the left-as De
Spain stood-of the door and faced
him, the encounter seemed to De Spain
accidental. But before he could speak,
second man appeared in the door
way, and this man appeared to be jok-
Ing with a third, behind him. AS the
second man crossed the threshold, De
Spain saw Sandusky's high-voiced
little fighting crony, Logan, who now
made way, as he stepped within to the
right of the open door, for the swing
ing shoulders and rolling stride Of
Gale Morgan.
Morgan, eying De Spain with inso-
lence, as was his wont, closed the door
behind him with a bang. Then he
backed his powerful frame significant
ly against it.
A blind man could have seen the
completeness of the snare. An unpleas-
ant feeling flashed across De Spain's
perception. 1t was only for the inn
measurable part Of second-while
uncertainty was resolving itself into a
rapid certainty. When Gale Morgan
stepped into the room on the heels
Of his two Calabasas friends, De Spain
would have sold for less than q cup
Of coffee all his chances for life. New
ertheless, before Morgan had set his
back fairly against the door and the
trap was sprung, De Spain had
mapped his fight.
| He did not retreat from where he
halted at the instant Sandusky entered,
His one slender chance was to hug to
the men that meant to kill him. Nor.
gan, the nearest, he esteemed the least
dangerous Of the three; but to think
to escape both Sandusky and Logan
at close quarters was, he knew, more
than ought to be hoped for.
While Morgan was closing the door,
De Spain smiled at his visitors: 'That
isn't necessary, Morgan-I'm not ready
to rum" Morgan only continued to
stare at HIM. II need hardly ask"
added De Spain, "whether you fellows
have business with me?"
He looked to Sandusky for a reply;
1t was Logan who answered in shrin
falsetto: mo. We don't happen to
have business that I know of. A
friend Of ours may have little, may.
be-" Logan, lifting his shoulders with
his laugh, looked toward his cQmpan.
ions for an answer to his joke.
De SPANS smile appeared unruffled:
you'll help him transact it, I sup.
pose?"
Logan, looking again toward San.
dusky, grinned: HE won't need any
help"
'Who is your friend?" demanded De
Spain good-naturedly. Logan's glance
misled him; it did not refer to San.
dusky. And even as he asked the ques,
ton De Spain heard through the half.
open window at the end of the bar
the sound Of hoofs. Hoping against
hope for Lefever, the interruption
cheered him. It certainly did not seem
that his situation could be made worse,
'Well," answered Logan, talking
again to his gallery Of cronies, "we've
got two or three friends that want ia
see you. They're waiting outside to
see what you'll look like in about five
minutes-ain't they, CALEB"
Someone was moving within the real
room. De Spain felt hope in every
football he heard, and the mention Of
Morgan's name cleared his plan Of
battle. Before Gale, with an oath,
could blurt out his answer, De Spain
had resolved to fight where he stood,
taking Logan first and Morgan as he
should jump in between the two. II
was at the best hopeless venture
against Sandusky's first shot, which
DE Spain knew was almost sure to
reach vital spot. But desperate men
cannot be choosers.
There's no time for seeing me like
the present." declared De Spain, ignor.
Ing Morgan and addressing his words
to Logan. Bring your friends in.
what are you complaining about, Nor.
gon?" he asked, resenting the stream
OF abuse that Gale hurled at him when.
ever he could get word in. II had
my turn at you with rifle the othe.
day. You've got your turn now. And
call it a pretty soft one, too-don't
you, Sandusky7" he demanded sud.
denly Of the big fellow.
Sandusky alone through the talk had
kept an unbroken silence. He waa
eating up De Spain with his eyes, and
De Spain not only ached to hear him
speak, but was resolved to make him,
Sandusky had stood motionless from
the instant he entered the room. His
eyes rested intently on De Spain, and
ct his side the long finzars nf bis rishs