“I’m glad you came, Cody,” said he, in a hoarse voice. “See, here.” He picked up the locket. It contained two pictures, one of a fair-faced woman and the other plainly that of Gentleman Jim himself. “This—this,” faltered the gambler, “belonged to Alice! It was she whom those scoundrels stole away—and to play even with me on account of that mine!”
“We’ll talk of that later, Jim,” said the scout, laying the ring on the table and dropping the note beside it. “There are the other two things Billings brought. Let’s read the note. It may contain something of importance.”
Although the note was the main thing in Buffalo Bill’s mind, and the contents of it what he wanted to get at as quickly as possible, yet he could not show impatience when Gentleman Jim picked up the wedding-ring first.
“This was Alice’s,” said he, in a low voice. “I gave it to her—it seems as though that was in another life and in another world. Look!”—and he held up the gold band and indicated some tiny lettering on the inside—“there’s my name and hers—‘James to Alice,’ and the date. Sad memories, Buffalo Bill,” said he, with a long sigh, dropping the ring beside the locket.
“She must have been coming here to you,” said the scout.
“Yes—coming to me!” Gentleman Jim’s eyes flashed murderously. “And now to have Lawless strike such a blow at my happiness, to—— But I’ll find her! By Heaven, I’ll follow that scoundrel to the ends of earth, if necessary, and get Alice away from him. Then I’ll make him pay—pay to the uttermost.”
“That’s the way to talk, Gentleman Jim,” approved the scout. “I intend to take the trail just as soon as we can get our plans into working shape. The note may guide us. Read it.”
Gentleman Jim picked up the note and read it aloud.
“‘Gentleman Jim, Sun Dance.
“‘You have probably heard, by now, how I held up the stage. I took from your wife what money she had, and all her jewelry—which didn’t amount to much. Of course, until I saw your picture in the locket, I hadn’t any idea the woman was your wife. Having discovered this, my scheme is laid to take her away from the stage and hold her until a deed, properly executed to me by Wah-coo-tah Lawless, for the Forty Thieves Mine, is left on the black boulder at Medicine Bluff. The girl, under care of Buffalo Bill’s girl pard, I understand is getting well, there in Sun Dance. You can have the deed executed at once, and leave it for me at midnight, to-night, at the place stated. On the day following, your wife will be given a horse and sent into camp. If you do not leave the deed, as stated, you will never see your wife again. This is the last call.