“They say he is; I don’t know him very well.”
“Della here just came back yesterday,” explained the bartender. “She was away for—how long was it, Dell?”
“Oh, seven or eight months. Seven months, I guess. I worked here quite a while.”
“This man’s name is Collins,” explained the bartender. “Me and him was old friends down in Yuma, Dell; and he drinks plain water.”
“I don’t blame him,” she smiled. “Well, I’ve got to practise a while.” She walked back to the platform and joined the other girls.
“Pretty good kid,” observed the bartender. “A couple of fellers got stuck on her and shot it out one night. One got killed and the other was sent up for second degree murder; but he’s out again. Feller by the name of Blaze Nolan. He killed Ben Kelton.”
“One of the Kelton family over at the mouth of the Pass?”
“A son. He was a wild devil. This Blaze Nolan was engaged to his sister.”
Cultus squinted thoughtfully. A man engaged to Jane Kelton, and fighting over this dance-hall girl.
“Dell pulled her freight ahead of the trial,” said the bartender. “They wanted her for a witness, but they didn’t find her. Now she’s back here and so is Blaze Nolan, but I don’t reckon they’ve met. Blaze is livin’ down at the Circle M. I knowed Blaze pretty well, and he’s all right. Jist made one of them well-known mistakes, I reckon.”