The Irish standard., 1917-03-10

nand beat a soft tattoo against his
pistol holster. De Spain's question
seemed to arouse him. whats your
name? he demanded bluntly. His
voice was heavy and his deafness was
rejected in the strained tone.
Its on the butt of my gun, San.
dusky."
whats that he says?" demanded
the man known as the butcher, asking
the question of Logan, but without
taking his eyes off his shifty prey.
Logan raised his voice to repeat the
words and to add a ribald comment.
"You make a good deal of noises
nuttered Sandusky, speaking again to
De Spain.
"That ought not to bother you
much, Sandusky," shouted De Spain,
trying to win smile from his tact.
turn antagonist.
Ills noise won't bother anybody
much longer" put in Logan, whose re-
0rts overlooked at every interval. But
there was no smile even limited at in
the uncompromising vigilance of San
dusky's expressionless face. De Spain
discounted the next few minutes far
enough to feel that Sandusky's first
shot would mean death to him, even If
he could return it.
"Pll tell you, De Spain," continued
Logan, 'we're going to have drink
with you. Then we're going to prepare
you for going back where you come
from-with nice flowers"
II guess you thought you could come
out here and run over everybody in the
Spanish Sinks" interposed Morgan,
with every oath he could summon to
load his words.
'Keep out, Morgan" exclaimed Lo-
gan testify. 'Ill do this talking"
De Spain continued to banter. "Gen-
tlemen," he said, addressing the three
together and realizing that every mo-
ment wasted before the shooting added
grain of hope, II am ready to drink
when you are"
"He's ready to drink, Tom," roared
Morgan in the deaf mans ear.
"I'm ready" announced Sandusky in
hollow voice.
Still regarding De Spain with the
most businesslike expression, the griz-
zled outlaw took guarded step for
ward, his companions following suit.
De Spain, always with jealous regard
for the relative distance between him
and his self-appointed executioners,
moved backward. In crossing the room,
Sandusky, without objection from his
companions, moved across their front,
and when the four lined up at the bar,
their positions had changed. De Spain
stood at the extreme left, Sandusky
aext, Logan beside him, and Gale Nor.
gan, at the other end Of the line, pre-
tended to pound the bar for service.
De Spain, following mountain etiquette
In the circumstances, spread his open
hands, palms down, on the bar. SAM
ausky's great palms slid in the same
fashion over the checked slab In I'M
spoken recognition Of the brief armis.
lice. Logan's hands came up in turn,
and Morgan still pounded for someone
to serve.
De Spain in the new disposition
weighed his chances as being both bet
ter and worse. They had put Sandus-
ky's first shot at no more than an
arms length from his prey, with Lo-
gan next, to cover the possibility Of
the big fellows failing to paralyze De
Spain the first instant. On the other
hand, De Spain, trained in the tactics
Of Whispering Smith and Medicine
Bend gunner, welcomed short-arm
struggle with the worst of his assail-
ants closest at hand. Their maneuver-
ing caused no disquiet to their slen-
der, compactly built victim. you'll
wait long time, if you wait for serv-
Ice here, Morgan" he said, comment
ing with composure on Morgan's i'm
patience. Logan looked again at his
two companions and laughed.
Every hope De Spain had of possible
help from the back room died with
that laugh. Then the door behind the