“She’ll be well paid for it,” gruffly.

“Yeah, I s’pose,” Hashknife sighed. “She done a lot for me too, but I won’t be able to pay much. Still, I can sure be just as grateful as I can be to her and Wanna.”

“You rather like Wanna too, don’t you?” There was a sneer in Jack’s voice.

“Rather,” said Hashknife softly.

“I thought so. Well, don’t let me stand in your way, Hartley.”

Hashknife’s eyes half-closed as he looked at the younger man, a look that other men had seen just before a swift draw.

“Hill,” he said icily, “yo’re walkin’ a narrow trail. Wanna is a mighty sweet girl, and I’m old enough to be her father. Yo’re not in my way, young feller. If you was, I’d tie you in a hard knot, so damned hard that nothin’ would ever untie yuh. Personally, I don’t think yo’re worth the dynamite it would take to blow yuh to hell. Now yuh know where I stand.”

“I’m going to worry a lot about that,” sneered Hill.

He was stimulated to a point where nothing would make him realize his foolishness. His eyes were slightly glassy and he laughed immoderately. Hashknife looked at him curiously, turned, and went into the kitchen.

CHAPTER VIII
QUITE A LOT OF NEWS