“Gawd A’mighty!” he said in an awed tone; “there must have been a wad of money blowed in in this here town to-day! Drunks! Man alive there ain’t nothin’ but drunks; the town’s reelin’ with ’em! They’re layin’ in the street; there’s a dozen in the Silver Dollar an’ that many more in the Fashion–an’ Gawd knows how many more in the other saloons. Their heads is under the tables; they’re hangin’ on the walls an’ clawin’ around in spittoons–gle-or-i-ously, be-ut-i-fully paralyzed!”
He was suddenly outside, pushed through the door by Hollis, and the door closed after him. Hollis glanced furtively at Dunlavey to see that gentleman scowl. He thought he saw a questioning glint in Allen’s eyes as the latter looked suddenly at him, but he merely smiled and gave his attention to the next man, who was now entering.
The latter proved to be Lemuel Train. He did his voting quietly and grimly. But as he went out through the door that Hollis opened for him he growled: “Lordy, what a drunken bunch!” He looked at Hollis. “One of your men, too,” he said, grinning slightly. “I thought you taught them better!”
Hollis frowned. He knew that Allen would need all his friends; none of them could be spared in this crisis. He smiled incredulously. It had been only a short time before that his men had accompanied him to the door of the sheriff’s office. At that time they were perfectly sober. It would have been impossible for any of them–
“An’ Ten Spot’s a hummer when he gits started,” Train was saying. “I’ve seen him before when he cut loose an’ he sure is a holy terror!”
Then with a word of parting Train was gone, saying that he had done all the “damage” he could and that he purposed “hitting” the trail back to his ranch.
He had certainly done some damage to Hollis. The latter’s mind now rioted with all sorts of conjecture and he mechanically did his work of letting man after man out through the rear door, scarcely seeing them.
He was aware of an odd expression that had come into Dunlavey’s eyes at the mention of Ten Spot. Had Dunlavey succeeded in bribing Ten Spot to desert him? He had left Ten Spot at the Circle Bar, not inviting him to Dry Bottom because he felt that the latter would rather not come since he had deserted Dunlavey. And Ten Spot had come to town anyway. What did it mean? Did it mean that Ten Spot had come to assist Dunlavey in nominating Watkins and defeating his new employer?
He frowned again, and for the next few minutes gravely studied Dunlavey’s face. He was sure that the latter’s manner had changed. The mocking smile which had been on his face since his arrival at the sheriff’s office had been superseded by a huge grin–plainly of anticipation. Ten Spot–dangerous, reckless, drunk, at the head of a number of dissolute men, had it in his power to make things decidedly interesting should he advance on the sheriff’s office with the intention of assisting Dunlavey.
Several times since hiring Ten Spot Hollis had doubted him. The suspicion had assailed him that perhaps the appearance of Ten Spot at the Hazelton cabin so opportunely had been a part of a plot by Dunlavey to place a spy in his employ. They might have purposely sacrificed Yuma.