“Is there a Mr. Larkin here?” asked the puncher.
“Yes,” said Bud, pushing back his chair.
“There’s a stranger out here that ’lows he wants to see you.”
“Send him in here and give him something to 29 eat, Shorty,” sang out Bissell. “If he’s a friend of Larkin’s, he’d better have dinner with him. And, Shorty, tell that Chinaman to rustle another place here pronto!”
As for Bud Larkin, he was at a total loss to know who his visitor might be. With a sudden twinge of fear he thought that perhaps Hard-winter Sims, his chief herder, had pursued him with disastrous information from the flocks. Wondering, he awaited the visitor’s appearance.
The stranger presently made a bold and noisy entrance, and, when his face came into view, Bud sank back in his chair weakly, his own paling a trifle beneath the tan. For the man was Smithy Caldwell, a shifty-eyed crook from Chicago, one who had dogged him before, and whom he had never expected to see again. How the villain had tracked him to the Bar T outfit Bud could not imagine.
Seeing the eyes of the others upon him, Larkin recovered himself with an effort and introduced Caldwell; but to the eyes of even the most unobservant it was plain that a foreign element of disturbing nature had suddenly been projected into the genial atmosphere. The man was coarse in manner and speech and often addressed leering remarks 30 to Juliet, who disregarded them utterly and confined her attention to Bud.
“Who is this creature?” she asked sotto voce. “What does he want with you?”
Bud hesitated, made two or three false starts, and finally said:
“I am sure his business with me would not interest you.”