Evening star., 1936-03-20
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UM MPETEP- 3. .KYNE
MPETER 3. KYNE

80 now the poor QeVu M Outl1Ws
an the next we hear about him there'n
be q price on his head. 7ill, he's
plumb outside the law now"
"Yep. An the hell of 1t is. Johnny,
he doesn't know it. He hggers dead
men tell no tales. He don't know that
one man didn't die"
Reckon we'll have to tip him OF
when he calls, Bill"
Bill considered this. "Well," he de-
cided presently. come to think Of it,
we don't owe Joaquin nothin'. The
only obligation We had toward him an
him toward us was the obligation o.
bein' neighborly an givin' him
square deal, which we done and which
he done. OF course. HE'LL come back
to Sawnill Flat an, of course, when
he does he'll drop In on us some dark
night for old sake's sake. He's due
here right soon. He's got q job o.
KILN to do"
"Well," Johnny demanded. 'are we
so doggone pure we're goin' to inter-
fere in that? When 1t comes to Hllin'
the men that hung Jesus an fiogged
him, I claim he's plumb within his
rights. An amt so sure but what
he was plum within his rights In KILN
those men down at Hornitos. What
right did they have to stop him an
arrest him?"
"The old right O. 80 to '5l-the law
o. might-the law o. the vigilante."
Would you recognize such law2"
"I'm afraid mebbe I'd kick over the
traces some, Johnny. Any man that
flggers to override the regularly con-
stituted law amt got no kick comm
II he runs into hot lead. II them Hor-
nitos men had been regularly sworn
in as deputies, they'd have been with
in the law. but since they wasn't, an
admitted it, I reckon Joaquin an his
friends had the privilege o. registerin'
an objection. I reckon the Gringos
drew first"
well, then, Joaquin's still our
friend an neighbor. an II he calls on
us I'm goin' to tell him everything I
know"
Sometimes" Bill said sadly, ST fig
ger you suffer some from too much
youth"
Three Fingered Jacks surrender Of
his leadership was, almost amazingly,
sincere and trifie abject. For the
first time in his life he had met mas
terful man, q greater bully than HIM
self. He was too dull to realize that
Joaquin was q Judge Of character and
had shrewdly banked on that weak
ness in Three Fingered Jack. Or per-
haps on the admiration Jack would
have for one apparently more ruthless
than himself. Joaquin's knowledge of
Jack was based entirely on hearsay.
but already the mans bloody record |
had been sufficiently authenticated to
prove to Joaquin that Jack was cou-
rageous and a ruthless and joyous
killer, but that, like all men of his
type, he always sought the advantage;
that buried deep in him was a yellow
streak that would show in the face of
superior intelligence and superior cour-
age. A modern psychiatrist would |
have claSsed Jack as borderline case |
of high-grade moron, a man Of the |
mental age of II years. Despite the |
little he had seen Of the man, Joaquin |
had been sufficiently astute to gauge |
his character correctly. The moment |
he had made up his mind to associate
himself with Three Fingered Jack, he |
had simultaneously resolved not to |
submit himself to the latter's stupid, |
dangerous and careless leadership. |
Joaquin had never been q soldier. but |
some instinct In him, descended |
doubtless from one Of the conquisesta-
dores who helped Cortez conquer Mex
leo. informed him that force. a swift
assault and no argument must be the
prelude to his assumption Of leader
ship. Therefore, he had been quick to |
point out to Jack the flaws in the lat
ter's leadership. to impress him with q
sense of his stupidity and his own
(Joaquin's) superiority. He realized
that the fact Of his arrival in camp
with loot must impress Jack with the
knowledge that in his latest recruit he
had found q man Of action and enter
prise. With native shrewdness he
had Modified Jack, when demoting
him, by making him second in COM
mand. He knew that q little obeisance
to Jacks ego would satisfy the mans
childish nature. And 1t had!
While the aroused cook prepared a
hurried meal for the new arrivals,
Joaquin related the tale Of his ex-
oloits, whereat Three-Fingered Jack
-oared with laughter. His admiration |
for the recruit was open and hearty. |
While 1t Is not my habit to assign |
reasons for my action, comrade." Joa-
luin informed him between bites, "out |