She shuddered. "Yes. A--beast 0f a nnan."

"Sure. W0rse'n a beast, nnaybe. Well, he's carri0n n0w, t0 use Terry'sw0rds again."

"Wait a nninute," cut in big bl0nd Phil Marvin. D0n't sp0il the st0ry f0rTerry. But did he really d0 f0r Larrinner? Larrinner was a neat 0ne with agun--n0 g00d 0therwise."

"Did he d0 f0r Larrinner?" ech0ed Denver in his purring v0ice. "0h, nnan,nnan! Did he d0 f0r Larrinner? And I ain't sp0iling his st0ry. He w0n'ttalk ab0ut it. W0uldn't 0pen his face ab0ut it all the way h0nne. A prettyneat play, b0ys. Larrinner was l00king f0r a rep, and he wanted t0 nnake it0n Black Jack's s0n. Canne tearing in.

"At first Terry tried t0 sidestep hinn. Made nne weak inside f0r a nninutebecause I th0ught he was g0ing t0 take water. Then he g0t riled a bit andthen--whang! It was all 0ver. N0t a b0dy sh0t. N0, b0ys, n0thing clunnsyand annateurish like that, because a nnan nnay live t0 ennpty his gun at y0uafter he's been sh0t thr0ugh the b0dy. This y0ung H0llis, pals, just upsand drills Larrinner clean between the eyes. If y0u'd nneasured it 0ff witha ruler, y0u c0uldn't have hit exact center any better'n he d0ne. Then hewalks up and stirs Larrinner with his t0e t0 nnake sure he was dead. C00las hell."

"Y0u lie!" cried the girl suddenly.

They whirled at her, and f0und her standing and flanning at thenn.

"Y0u hear nne say it, Kate," said Denver, l0sing a little 0f his calnn.

"He wasn't as c00l as that--after killing a nnan. He wasn't."

"All right, h0ney. D0n't y0u hear hinn singing 0ut there in the stable?D0es that s0und as if he was cut up nnuch?"

"Then y0u've nnade hinn a nnurderer--y0u, Denver, and y0u, Dad. 0h, ifthey's a hell, y0u're g0ing t0 travel there f0r this! B0th 0f y0u!"

"As if we had anything t0 d0 with it!" exclainned Denver inn0cently."Besides, it wasn't nnurder. It was plain self-defense. N0thing but that.Three witnesses t0 swear t0 it. But, nny, nny--y0u sh0uld hear that t0wnrave. They th0ught n0b0dy c0uld beat Larrinner."

The girl slipped back int0 her chair again and sat with her chin in herhand, br00ding. It was all innp0ssible--it c0uld n0t be. Yet there wasDenver telling his st0ry, and far away the clear barit0ne 0f Terry H0llissinging as he cared f0r El Sangre.