Max Brand

“ The mayor thrust his hand into his breast and extended the other arm in imitation of a popular wood-cut of Patrick Henry. The crowd acknowledged the eloquence of the attitude with a common gaping.
“There may be some of you guys,” cried the mayor, rising to the emotion of the moment, “there may be some of you guys who don’t know the man I mean, but I reckon that a tolerable pile of Appleton’s best citizens spend a large part of their time cursing Slim Malone.” ”

“ He did as he had said, and Lefty’s practised eyes saw that there was not the suspicion of a lump under the clothes.
“Now,” said Slim Malone, as he faced his captor again, and his smile was strangely winning, “I hope that I may lower my arms and we can commence our little party.”
“Your end of this here party is all over, my beauty,” said Lefty grimly, “except that the boys at Appleton may give you a little impromptu reception when we hit town. They seem to be rather strong on celebrations.”
“So I understand,” smiled Slim Malone. “I have no doubt they will be glad to see me.” ”

“ Sandy was rarely more vocal than a grunt, and when Slim Malone appeared, people had generally other things to think about than questions concerning his past.
A certain percentage of lawlessness is taken for granted in a mining town. People are too busy with their own concerns to pay attention to their neighbors, but when three stages in succession, passing from Appleton to Concord, the nearest railroad station, were robbed by a rider on a white horse, the community awoke and waxed wrath. ”

“ Appleton decreed the day of the arrival of the new sheriff a festival occasion. The farmers from the adjoining table-land drove into town, the miners from the three valleys rode down. And when the stage arrived from Concord the incipient sheriff dismounted in the midst of a huge crowd, and cheers which shook the sign-board of Sandy Orton's saloon. ”

“ The luckiest of the expeditions came back telling tales of a sudden fusillade from an unexpected covert, and then a swift white horse scouring into the distance. The majority came back with no tales at all save of silent mountains and the grim cactus of the desert. ”

“ He came from that sun-burned southland where a man’s prowess was gaged by his speed and dexterity with his “irons,” and even on that northern plateau of Appleton men knew that to cross Lefty Cornwall was death or murderous mutilation. ”

“ I’m askin’ you as man to man, can a self-respectin’ community stand for this? It can’t. What’s the answer that Appleton makes to this desperado?”
He paused and frowned the audience into a state of suspense.
“There is only one answer to this gun-fighter, and that answer stands at my right hand,” bellowed the mayor, when he judged that the silence had sunk into his hearers sufficiently. “The name of the answer is Lefty Cornwall!” ”

“ It was with surprise no less than pleasure that the throng heard the lusty voice of their chief official inviting them to Sandy Orton’s saloon, and where they were in doubt, his beckoning arm put them right. They filled the saloon from bar to door, and those who could not enter thronged at the entrances with gaping mouths. ”

“ He took the glass which Malone extended to him under the cover of the pointed gun and raised it slowly to his lips.
“Just stand a bit further back while I drink, pal,” he said.
Malone obeyed, and the sheriff tilted the glass. It was, as Malone had said, “the real old aroma,” and the sheriff drew a deep breath.
Now there is a saying about liquor that the drink which does the harm is “just one more,” and certain it is that one whisky calls for another as surely as a question calls for an answer. ”

“ It was just wide enough for a man to press through, and from the chisel marks at his sides it had evidently been artificially widened from time to time. At the end of the narrow passage hung the blanket.
If Lefty had proceeded cautiously up to this point, his caution now became almost animal-like. Behind that blanket he had no idea what was happening. Perhaps the bandit had heard a noise long before, and was now crouched against the wall in another part of the place, ready to open fire at the first stir of the blanket. ”

“ Men stated freely that Lefty would never dream of coming as far north as Appleton for a paltry five thousand dollars. There were even a few dissenters who claimed that even should he come he would never be able to cope with Slim Malone, but these were laughed and hooted down by a radical minority who came from the south-land and knew the fame of Lefty Cornwall in detail. The sheriff accounted for the others by stating that he had already communicated with Lefty, and had received his assent by letter. ”

“ If he had been back upon the level reaches of the Texan desert, which he knew, these uncertainties would probably have never entered his head, but here every half mile of his journey was passed under the eye of a thousand coverts from which a man could have picked him off with the safety of a hunter firing from a blind at partridges. ”

“ Afterward, and still in silence, he retired and worked for an hour cleaning his already shining revolver and patting and oiling the holster. He performed these grave functions in the house of the mayor, and that dignitary announced later that he had wound up by practising the draw and point, walking and sitting down, and at every angle. The mayor was impressed past speech.
When Lefty issued at last he found a score of hard riders standing by their horses in the street. ”

“ Furthermore he was about to make five thousand dollars on presenting him to the good people of Appleton.
"If you sure want a drink before we start, go ahead," said Lefty.
"The bottle and a glass is over there in that little dugout on the wall," pointed Malone.
In the little open hutch on the wall the sheriff perceived a tall bottle which shimmered pleasantly in the torch-light.
"Go ahead," said the sheriff, "I reckon you know I'm watchin' all the time."
"Surely," said Malone pleasantly. "I know you're on your job all the time." ”

“ Malone waved a careless and reassuring hand.
“Business is business, my dear fellow,” he said.
“That bein’ the case,” said Lefty, “I’ll have to ask you to turn around and put your hands behind your back while I put these here bracelets on. I don’t want to discourage you any, but while I’m doin’ it this here gun will be in my hand and pointin’ at your back.”
“Naturally,” nodded Malone; “quite right, of course; but before we start on our little jaunt back to the camp won’t you have a drink with me? I have some really rare old stuff here ”