“Didn’t know you shot him, Snag; thought it was the female.”
“I shot him,” states Snag coolly. “I’ll ask yuh—what did yuh arrest the lady for, sheriff?”
Hack Allen wets his lips, rubs his sore jaw and rests his hands on his saddle-horn.
“She’s the boss of the Circle Dot, ain’t she? Two of your men have been shot on the Circle Dot Range, ain’t they? They been stealin’ your——”
“Period!” snaps Hashknife. “You’re goin’ to hold your breath too long some of these days, Allen, and you’ll never get it again.”
“I’ll ask yuh for help when I need yuh, Allen,” says Snag.
“Yeah? Your dead-line didn’t seem to stop the Circle Dot.”
“Hack,” says Snag, “you better go back to your office and let my business alone. Yuh might lock your door, too—if yuh want to play safe.”
“I’ll run my office, sabe? Neither you nor this bunch of gun-packers from the Circle Dot can tell me where to head in at. You try takin’ the law into your own hands and see how quick yuh get tripped up.”
Snag shrugs his shoulders and turns to Hashknife.