“That’s so,” agreed Duncan.
“Which reduces the profits of the Double R,” pursued Langford.
“I reckon that’s right.”
“And you knew that when you sold me the Double R,” continued Langford, his voice smooth and silky.
Duncan flashed a grin at the imperturbable face of the new owner. “I reckon I wasn’t entirely ignorant of it,” he said.
“That’s bad business,” remarked Langford in a detached manner.
“What is?” Duncan’s face reddened slightly. “You mean that it was bad business for me to sell when I knowed Doubler owned land near the Double R?” There was a slight sneer in his voice as he looked at Langford. “You’ve never been stung before, eh? Well, there’s always a first time for everything, and I reckon—according to what I’ve heard—that you ain’t been exactly no Sunday school scholar yourself.”
Langford’s eyes were narrowed to slits. “I meant that it was bad business to allow Doubler’s presence on the Two Forks to affect the profits of the Double R. Perhaps I have been stung—as you call it—but if I have been I am not complaining.”
Duncan’s eyes glinted with satisfaction. He had expected a burst of anger from the new owner when he should discover that the value of his property was impaired by the presence of a nester near it, but the new owner apparently harbored no resentment over this unforeseen obstacle.
“I’m admitting,” said Duncan, “that Doubler being there is bad business. But how are you going to prevent him staying there?”