If it was possible she must help him to avoid a meeting with Houck. She could not have him shamed. Her savage young pride would not permit the girl to mate with one who proved himself a coward at a crisis of his life. It was necessary to her self-respect that she save his.
“We’d better go back to the hotel,” she said. “You can stay in our room, and I’ll send for Jake an’ talk with him downstairs.”
“I don’t reckon I’d better do that,” Bob protested feebly. “He might—hurt you. No tellin’.”
June ignored this. “Did you hear whether Dad’s with him?” she asked.
“No.”
“Where is Jake?”
“He was at Dolan’s drinking when that Dud Hollister seen him.”
“I’ll have him come right away—before he’s had too much. Dad says he used to be mean when he was drinkin’.”
The hotel was in the same block as Dolan’s, a hundred feet beyond it. They were passing the saloon when the door was pushed open and a man came out. At sight of them he gave a triumphant whoop.
“Got ya!” he cried.