Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1925-01-30
PAGE SEVEN

tnority wmcn ne retained, despite the
shedding Of his uniform.
"That'll be all" he said crisply.
The breed turned on him and broke
into a string Of oaths.
Say. whadya meanT he shouted.
You don know me. He don know
who he's talking to, eh. Shorty? I'm
Pierre Cauchon." He doubled u
brawny forearm. "Say, young feller,
you see dis? Dere amt no man either
side Of de range can say 'datll be air
TO Pierre Cauchon. You t'ink you can
fight, mebbef"
Lee. mindful of the rigid code Of
conduct that bound him, shook his
head.
Il never fight IL can help It," he
answered.
The two men snickered, and there
came a murmur Of disgust from the
crowd, which, till that moment, had
been decidedly favorable to Lee.
The breed turned about. He never
fight if he can help it," he jeered
"You hear dat boysY" He turned to
Lee again "Mebbe you like to set
up de drinks, denY he inquired
blandIy.
Il don't drink" answered Lee with
complete equanimity.
well, whadya t'ink Of datT cried
Pierre to the crowd again. HE don
fight an he don drink You sure are
one On four-fusher," he grinned
belligerently in Lees face.
Lee. relieved to see, without turn
Ing his head, that the girl had taken
the opportunity to slip away, returned
Pierre's glare calmly: The breed was
poising himself ready to strike, but
something in Lees aspect, some un-
certainty, the inability to size him
up, checked him. Perhaps he sensed
how quickly Lees right arm, hang
Ing negligently before him. would rise
to the defensive; perhaps he did not
like the look Of Lees left.
He took refuge In irony. Well
whadya t'ink Of him, boysY" he de-
manded again Of the men. who had
formed a close circle around the pair.
He don fight an he got de nerve to
say dat II be all to Pierre Cauchon.
No, by gar. l guess you know better
dan to fight" he continued, adding a
foul epithet; and, grinning, he lurched
insolently past toward the bar. shoul-
dering Lee as he passed.
He looked back for an instant to
hot ~
the provocation, and, seeing that he
showed no signs of doing so. he went
on his way with Shorty. The crowd
gave Lee the once-over contemptu-
Ously. 1t had no love for the bully,
but an individual without the fighting
instinct is not supposed to pose as q
lady's champion and then back down.
The minds OF the prospectors were
too Obtuse to see that Lee had simply
been satisfied with gaining his point
and enabling the girl to get away un-
molested.
Lee paced the stoop for q while,
finished a pipe, and went early to his
blankets.
He interested himself In speculating
who the girl was. She was almost
certainly going to the mission; there
could be no other destination. Perhaps
he would see her again. He thought
Of the possibility quite without emo
ton. he ceased to think Of her, and,
tired after the days ride, began to
doze.
He was awakened when the men be-
gan to stagger into the parlor. Nearly
all Of them were drunk, some were
rolling drunk, and. after sporadic,
noisy alterations, they we're soon
sprawled out like logs all over the
floor, and snoring loudly. Several
times Lee was obliged to remove
heads. arms. and feet from various
portions of his anatomy.
He was just falling asleep again
when the sound Of name, whispered
almost in his ear, startled him into
instant wakefulness.
L