“I’m no quitter, Jim,” quickly. “Neither am I a fool. My neck is worth more to me than most anythin’ I’ve got, and I don’t like to have a crazy fool riskin’ it for me.”
Langley shoved back his plate impatiently.
“Write yore own ticket, Boomer,” he said wearily. “I’m tired of bearin’ yuh complain. Let’s have a round of poker.”
“Here or in the bunk-house?” asked Fohl.
“Here.”
One-Eye cleared off the table, wiped up the crumbs, and stacked the dishes in a pan, while Langley produced the chip-rack and the cards.
“Yuh got to stand me off for a few dollars,” said Jess Fohl. “I’m plumb busted, Jim.”
Roper Briggs walked through the front room and out to the front porch. It was very dark, but he could see a dull glow in the direction of Red Arrow. He watched it several moments, and then came back into the house, where he picked up Langley’s field-glasses.
“There’s a fire in Red Arrow,” he called to the boys, and went out on the porch.
They followed him out. It was rather hard to tell just where the fire was. It seemed much closer than Red Arrow.