“I know it. I got no choice.”
“You’ve got this much choice,” Tex pointed out. “You’ve declared yourself. But you ain’t put no time limit on it. You made no break about givin’ him two hours to quit town, or twenty-four hours to leave the country or any such damn fool bluffs that you have to live up to, or be laughed out of the country yourself. You said you’d kill him. You can do that when you get ready. You keep your hat on an’ let him think about that.”
“Well?” Robin muttered.
Tex reached for his cigarette material.
“You ain’t ready yet,” he continued. “You won’t have to go huntin’ trouble now. It’ll hunt you. You have an enemy in Shinin’ Mark, but you’ll have a worse one in Tommy Thatcher from now on. Steele’s bad, but he’s game. He’d stack up against anybody, anywhere, anytime. Thatcher’s different. You busted him horrible. He’ll get you if there’s a chance, but it won’t be on the square. You’ll need eyes in the back of your head for Tommy Thatcher. I know him better’n you do. I know of him a long time back.”
“I don’t know as that makes any difference,” Robin muttered.
“As for Steele,” Tex went on, unheeding the interruption, “when it comes to gun play he’s got it on you from soda to hock. He’ll rattle you first—you got a hell of a temper, kid. I see that to-day for the first time. You stew inside, and go off like dynamite. And I’ve seen enough wild west to know you can’t stack up against a cold-blooded proposition like Steele unless you’re as cool as he is. Pass it up this time. Go home. Get yourself a forty-five that fits your hand. Spend your wages on ammunition. Practice faithful till spring. Then go get him.”
“Meantime,” Tex patted Robin on the shoulder, “I have a hunch what lays back of this trouble between you and Shinin’ Mark. I seen enough this last week or so, to know he meant to crowd you till you turned on him. I think I know his game. I ain’t goin’ to take this fight off your hands, Robin. But I can promise you one thing—if he gets you I’ll get him. And that goes for Thatcher, too.”
He lit his cigarette and stood up.
“I’m amblin’ along,” he announced. “You let things go as they lay. Think over what I said and do it. You’ll win.”