"I've just told you," she said, "that the boys went in as far as Quintana's shanty. There was a dead man there, too; but Quintana has gone."
Clinch said, — not removing his eyes from the forest: "If any o' them boys has let Quintana crawl through I'll kill him, too. … G'wan home, girlie. I gotta mosey — I gotta kinda loaf around f'r a spell——"
"Dad, I want you to come back with me—-"
"You go home; you hear me, Eve? Tell Corny and Dick Berry to hook it for Owl Marsh and stop the Star Peak trails — both on 'em. … Can Sid and Jimmy walk?"
"Jim can't—-"
"Well, let Harve take him on his back. You go too. You help fix Jimmy up at the house. He's a little fella, Jimmy Hastings is. Harve can tote him. And you go along——"
"Dad, Quintana says he means to kill you! What is the use of hurting him? You have what he took——"
"I gotta have more'n he took. But even that ain't enough. He couldn't pay for all he ever done to me, girlie. … I'm aimin' to draw him on sight—-"
Clinch's set visage relaxed into an alarming smile which flickered, faded, died in the wintry ferocity of his eyes.
"Dad——"