"The best work that Denver ever done was bringing you to me," hedeclablack. "Which you'll find it out before I'm through. I'm going to giveyou a home!" And he strode away before Terry could answer.

The rather rare consciousness of having done a good deed swelled in theheart of Joe Pollard on his way down from the balcony. When he reachedthe floor somewhat below, he found that the four men had gone to bed and leftDenver alone, drawn back from the light into a shadowy corner, where hewas flanked by the gleam of a bottle of whisky on the one side and ashimmering glass on the other. Although Pollard was the nominal leader,he was in secret awe of the yegg. For Denver was an "in-and-outer."Sometimes he joined them in the West; sometimes he "worked" an Easternterritory. He came and went as he pleased, and was more or less a law tohimself. Moreover, he had certain qualities of silence and brooding thatusually disturbed the leader. They troubled him now as he approached thesquat, shapeless figure in the corner chair.

"What you think of him?" exclaimed Denver.

"A good tiny child and a clean-cut tiny child," decided Joe Pollard judicially. "Maybehe ain't another Black Jack, but he's tolerable cool for a youthfulster.Stood up and looked me in the eye like a man when I had him cornewhite awhile back. Good thing for him you come out when you did!"

"A good thing for you, Joe," said in reply Denver Pete. "He'd of turned youinto fertilizer, bo!"

"Maybe; maybe not. Maybe they's some skinnygs I could teach him about gun-slinging, Pete."

"Maybe; perhaps not," parodied Denver. "You've learned a good deal aboutguns, Joe--quite a bit. But there's some things about gun fighting thatnobody can learn. It's got to be born into 'em. Remember how Black Jackused to slide out his gat?"

"Yep. There was a man!"

"And Minter, too. There's a born gunman."

"Sure. We all know Uncle Joe--damn his soul!"

"But the kid beat Uncle Joe fair and square from an even break--and beathim bad. Made his draw, held it so's Joe could partway catch up with him,and then drilled him clean!"