Aikennoddedcoolly。Duane，whohadseenmanymeninperfectcontrolofthemselvesundercircumstanceslikethese，recognizedthespiritthatdominatedAiken。Hewaswhite，cold，passionless。Therewerelinesofbittergriefdeeproundhislips。IfDuaneeverfeltthemeaningofdeathhefeltitthen。
　　"Surethis’syourgame，Aiken，"saidSibert。"Buthearmeaminute。Reckonthere’snodoubtaboutthismanbein’BuckDuane。Heseentheplacardoutatthecross—roads。HeridesintoShirley。Hesayshe’sBuckDuanean’he’slookin’forJeffAiken。That’sallclearenough。Youknowhowthesegunfightersgolookin’fortrouble。Buthere’swhatstumpsme。DuanesitsdownthereonthebenchandletsoldAbeStricklandgrabhisgunantgetthedroponhim。More’nthat，hegivesmesomestrangetalkabouthow，ifhecouldn’tmakeyoubelievehe’sinnocent，he’dbetterbedead。YouseeforyourselfDuaneain’tdrunkorcrazyorlocoed。Hedoesn’tstrikemeasamanwhorodeinherehuntin’blood。SoIreckonyou’dbetterholdontillyouhearwhathehastosay。"
　　Thenforthefirsttimethedrawn—faced，hungry—eyedgiantturnedhisgazeuponDuane。Hehadintelligencewhichwasnotyetsubservienttopassion。Moreover，heseemedthekindofmanDuanewouldcaretohavejudgehiminacriticalmomentlikethis。
　　"Listen，"saidDuane，gravely，withhiseyessteadyonAiken’s，"I’mBuckDuane。Ineverliedtoanymaninmylife。Iwasforcedintooutlawry。I’veneverhadachancetoleavethecountry。I’vekilledmentosavemyownlife。Ineverintentionallyharmedanywoman。Irodethirtymilesto—day——deliberatelytoseewhatthisrewardwas，whomadeit，whatfor。WhenIreadtheplacardIwentsicktothebottomofmysoul。SoIrodeinheretofindyou——totellyouthis:I
　　neversawShirleybeforeto—day。Itwasimpossibleformetohave——killedyourwife。LastSeptemberIwastwohundredmilesnorthofhereontheupperNueces。Icanprovethat。MenwhoknowmewilltellyouIcouldn’tmurderawoman。Ihaven’tanyideawhysuchadeedshouldbelaidatmyhands。It’sjustthatwildbordergossip。Ihavenoideawhatreasonsyouhaveforholdingmeresponsible。Ionlyknow——you’rewrong。You’vebeendeceived。Andseehere，Aiken。YouunderstandI’mamiserableman。I’maboutbroken，Iguess。Idon’tcareanymoreforlife，foranything。Ifyoucan’tlookmeintheeyes，mantoman，andbelievewhatIsay——why，byGod！youcankillme！"
　　Aikenheavedagreatbreath。
　　"BuckDuane，whetherI’mimpressedornotbywhatyousayneedn’tmatter。You’vehadaccusers，justlyorunjustly，aswillsoonappear。Thethingiswecanproveyouinnocentorguilty。MygirlLucysawmywife’sassailant。"
　　Hemotionedforthecrowdofmentoopenup。
　　"Somebody——you，Sibert——goforLucy。That’llsettlethisthing。"
　　Duaneheardasamaninanuglydream。Thefacesaroundhim，thehumofvoices，allseemedfaroff。Hislifehungbythemerestthread。Yethedidnotthinkofthatsomuchasofthebrandofawoman—murdererwhichmightbesoonsealeduponhimbyafrightened，imaginativechild。
　　Thecrowdtroopedapartandclosedagain。DuanecaughtablurredimageofaslightgirlclingingtoSibert’shand。Hecouldnotseedistinctly。Aikenliftedthechild，whisperedsoothinglytohernottobeafraid。ThenhefetchedherclosertoDuane。
　　"Lucy，tellme。Didyoueverseethismanbefore？"askedAiken，huskilyandlow。"Ishetheone——whocameinthehousethatday——struckyoudown——anddraggedmama——？"
　　Aiken’svoicefailed。
　　AlightningflashseemedtoclearDuane’sblurredsight。Hesawapale，sadfaceandvioleteyesfixedingloomandhorroruponhis。NoterriblemomentinDuane’slifeeverequaledthisoneofsilence——ofsuspense。
　　"It’sain’thim！"criedthechild。
　　ThenSibertwasflingingthenooseoffDuane’sneckandunwindingthebondsroundhisarms。Thespellboundcrowdawoketohoarseexclamations。
　　"Seethere，mylocoedgents，howeasyyou’dhangthewrongman，"burstoutthecowboy，ashemadetherope—endhiss。
　　"You—allarealotofwiserangers。Haw！haw！"
　　HefreedDuaneandthrustthebone—handledgunbackinDuane’sholster。
　　"YouAbe，there。Reckonyoupulledastunt！Butdon’ttrythelikeagain。And，men，I’llgamblethere’sahellofalotofbadworkBuckDuane’snamedfor——whichallheneverdone。Clearawaythere。Where’shishoss？Duane，theroad’sopenoutofShirley。"
　　SibertsweptthegapingwatchersasideandpressedDuanetowardthehorse，whichanothercowboyheld。MechanicallyDuanemounted，feltaliftashewentup。Thenthecowboy’shardfacesoftenedinasmile。
　　"Ireckonitain’tuncivilofmetosay——hitthatroadquick！"
　　hesaid，frankly。
　　Heledthehorseoutofthecrowd。Aikenjoinedhim，andbetweenthemtheyescortedDuaneacrosstheplaza。Thecrowdappearedirresistiblydrawntofollow。
　　AikenpausedwithhisbighandonDuane’sknee。Init，unconsciouslyprobably，hestillheldthegun。
　　"Duane，awordwithyou，"hesaid。"Ibelieveyou’renotsoblackasyou’vebeenpainted。Iwishtherewastimetosaymore。Tellmethis，anyway。DoyouknowtheRangerCaptainMacNelly？"
　　"Idonot，"repliedDuane，insurprise。
　　"ImethimonlyaweekagooverinFairfield，"wentonAiken，hurriedly。"Hedeclaredyouneverkilledmywife。Ididn’tbelievehim——arguedwithhim。Wealmosthadhardwordsoverit。
　　Now——I’msorry。Thelastthinghesaidwas:’IfyoueverseeDuanedon’tkillhim。Sendhimintomycampafterdark！’Hemeantsomethingstrange。What——Ican’tsay。Buthewasright，andIwaswrong。IfLucyhadbattedaneyeI’dhavekilledyou。
　　Still，Iwouldn’tadviseyoutohuntupMacNelly’scamp。He’sclever。Maybehebelievesthere’snotreacheryinhisnewideasofrangertactics。Itellyouforallit’sworth。Good—by。MayGodhelpyoufurtherashedidthisday！"
　　Duanesaidgood—byandtouchedthehorsewithhisspurs。
　　"Solong，Buck！"calledSibert，withthatfranksmilebreakingwarmoverhisbrownface;andheheldhissombrerohigh。
　　CHAPTERXIV
　　WhenDuanereachedthecrossingoftheroadsthenameFairfieldonthesign—postseemedtobethethingthattippedtheoscillatingbalanceofdecisioninfavorofthatdirection。
　　Heansweredheretounfathomableimpulse。IfhehadbeendriventohuntupJeffAiken，nowhewascalledtofindthisunknownrangercaptain。InDuane’sstateofmindclearreasoning，commonsense，orkeennesswereoutofthequestion。Hewentbecausehefelthewascompelled。
　　DuskhadfallenwhenherodeintoatownwhichinquirydiscoveredtobeFairfield。CaptainMacNelly’scampwasstationedjustoutofthevillagelimitsontheotherside。
　　NooneexcepttheboyDuanequestionedappearedtonoticehisarrival。LikeShirley，thetownofFairfieldwaslargeandprosperous，comparedtotheinnumerablehamletsdottingthevastextentofsouthwesternTexas。AsDuanerodethrough，beingcarefultogetoffthemainstreet，heheardthetollingofachurch—bellthatwasamelancholyreminderofhisoldhome。
　　Theredidnotappeartobeanycampontheoutskirtsofthetown。ButasDuanesathishorse，peeringaroundandundecidedwhatfurthermovetomake，hecaughttheglintofflickeringlightsthroughthedarkness。Headingtowardthem，herodeperhapsaquarterofamiletocomeuponagroveofmesquite。
　　Thebrightnessofseveralfiresmadethesurroundingdarknessalltheblacker。Duanesawthemovingformsofmenandheardhorses。Headvancednaturally，expectinganymomenttobehalted。
　　"Whogoesthere？"camethesharpcalloutofthegloom。
　　Duanepulledhishorse。Thegloomwasimpenetrable。
　　"Oneman——alone，"repliedDuane。
　　"Astranger？"
　　"Yes。"
　　"Whatdoyouwant？"
　　"I’mtryingtofindtherangercamp。"
　　"You’vestruckit。What’syourerrand？"
　　"IwanttoseeCaptainMacNelly。"
　　"Getdownandadvance。Slow。Don’tmoveyourhands。It’sdark，butIcansee。"
　　Duanedismounted，and，leadinghishorse，slowlyadvancedafewpaces。Hesawadullybrightobject——agun——beforehediscoveredthemanwhoheldit。Afewmorestepsshowedadarkfigureblockingthetrail。HereDuanehalted。
　　"Comecloser，stranger。Let’shavealookatyou，"theguardordered，curtly。
　　Duaneadvancedagainuntilhestoodbeforetheman。HeretheraysoflightfromthefiresflickereduponDuane’sface。
　　"Reckonyou’reastranger，allright。What’syournameandyourbusinesswiththeCaptain？"
　　Duanehesitated，ponderingwhatbesttosay。
　　"TellCaptainMacNellyI’mthemanhe’sbeenaskingtorideintohiscamp——afterdark，"finallysaidDuane。
　　Therangerbentforwardtopeerhardatthisnightvisitor。Hismannerhadbeenalert，andnowitbecametense。
　　"Comehere，oneofyoumen，quick，"hecalled，withoutturningintheleasttowardthecamp—fire。
　　"Hello！What’sup，Pickens？"cametheswiftreply。Itwasfollowedbyarapidthudofbootsonsoftground。Adarkformcrossedthegleamsfromthefire—light。Thenarangerloomeduptoreachthesideoftheguard。Duaneheardwhispering，thepurportofwhichhecouldnotcatch。Thesecondrangersworeunderhisbreath。Thenheturnedawayandstartedback。
　　"Here，ranger，beforeyougo，understandthis。Myvisitispeaceful——friendlyifyou’llletitbe。Mind，Iwasaskedtocomehere——afterdark。"
　　Duane’sclear，penetratingvoicecarriedfar。Thelisteningrangersatthecamp—fireheardwhathesaid。
　　"Ho，Pickens！Tellthatfellowtowait，"repliedanauthoritativevoice。Thenaslimfiguredetacheditselffromthedark，movinggroupatthecamp—fireandhurriedout。
　　"Betterbefoxy，Cap，"shoutedaranger，inwarning。
　　"Shutup——allofyou，"wasthereply。
　　Thisofficer，obviouslyCaptainMacNelly，soonjoinedthetworangerswhowereconfrontingDuane。Hehadnofear。HestrodestraightuptoDuane。
　　"I’mMacNelly，"hesaid。"Ifyou’remyman，don’tmentionyourname——yet。"
　　AllthisseemedsostrangetoDuane，inkeepingwithmuchthathadhappenedlately。
　　"ImetJeffAikento—day，"saidDuane。"Hesentme——"
　　"You’vemetAiken！"exclaimedMacNelly，sharp，eager，low。"Byallthat’sbully！"Thenheappearedtocatchhimself，togrowrestrained。
　　"Men，fallback，leaveusaloneamoment。"
　　Therangersslowlywithdrew。
　　"BuckDuane！It’syou？"hewhispered，eagerly。
　　"Yes。"
　　"IfIgivemywordyou’llnotbearrested——you’llbetreatedfairly——willyoucomeintocampandconsultwithme？"
　　"Certainly。"
　　"Duane，I’msuregladtomeetyou，"wentonMacNelly;andheextendedhishand。
　　Amazedandtouched，scarcelyrealizingthisactuality，Duanegavehishandandfeltnounmistakablegripofwarmth。
　　"Itdoesn’tseemnatural，CaptainMacNelly，butIbelieveI’mgladtomeetyou，"saidDuane，soberly。
　　"Youwillbe。Nowwe’llgobacktocamp。Keepyouridentitymumforthepresent。"
　　HeledDuaneinthedirectionofthecamp—fire。
　　"Pickers，gobackonduty，"heordered，"and，Beeson，youlookafterthishorse。"
　　WhenDuanegotbeyondthelineofmesquite，whichhadhidagoodviewofthecamp—site，hesawagroupofperhapsfifteenrangerssittingaroundthefires，nearalonglowshedwherehorseswerefeeding，andasmalladobehouseatoneside。
　　"We’vejusthadgrub，butI’llseeyougetsome。Thenwe’lltalk，"saidMacNelly。"I’vetakenuptemporaryquartershere。
　　Havearustlerjobonhand。Now，whenyou’veeaten，comerightintothehouse。"
　　Duanewashungry，buthehurriedthroughtheamplesupperthatwassetbeforehim，urgedonbycuriosityandastonishment。Theonlywayhecouldaccountforhispresencethereinaranger’scampwasthatMacNellyhopedtogetusefulinformationoutofhim。Stillthatwouldhardlyhavemadethiscaptainsoeager。
　　Therewasamysteryhere，andDuanecouldscarcelywaitforittobesolved。Whileeatinghehadbentkeeneyesaroundhim。
　　Afterafirstquietscrutinytherangersapparentlypaidnomoreattentiontohim。Theywereallveteransinservice——Duanesawthat——andrugged，powerfulmenofironconstitution。
　　Despitetheoccasionaljokeandsallyofthemoreyouthfulmembers，andageneralconversationofcamp—firenature，Duanewasnotdeceivedaboutthefactthathisadventhadbeenanunusualandstrikingone，whichhadcausedanundercurrentofconjectureandevenconsternationamongthem。Theserangersweretoowelltrainedtoappearopenlycuriousabouttheircaptain’sguest。IftheyhadnotdeliberatelyattemptedtobeobliviousofhispresenceDuanewouldhaveconcludedtheythoughthimanordinaryvisitor，somehowofusetoMacNelly。Asitwas，Duanefeltasuspensethatmusthavebeenduetoahintofhisidentity。
　　Hewasnotlonginpresentinghimselfatthedoorofthehouse。
　　"Comeinandhaveachair，"saidMacNelly，motioningfortheoneotheroccupantoftheroomtorise。"Leaveus，Russell，andclosethedoor。I’llbethroughthesereportsrightoff。"
　　MacNellysatatatableuponwhichwasalampandvariouspapers。Seeninthelighthewasafine—looking，soldierlymanofaboutfortyyears，dark—hairedanddark—eyed，withabronzedface，shrewd，stern，strong，yetnotwantinginkindliness。Hescannedhastilyoversomepapers，fussedwiththem，andfinallyputtheminenvelopes。Withoutlookinguphepushedacigar—
　　casetowardDuane，anduponDuane’srefusaltosmokehetookacigar，rosetolightitatthelamp—chimney，andthen，settlingbackinhischair，hefacedDuane，makingavainattempttohidewhatmusthavebeenthefulfilmentofalong—nourishedcuriosity。
　　"Duane，I’vebeenhopingforthisfortwoyears，"bebegan。
　　Duanesmiledalittle——asmilethatfeltstrangeonhisface。
　　Hehadneverbeenmuchofatalker。Andspeechhereseemedmorethanordinarilydifficult。
　　MacNellymusthavefeltthat。
　　HelookedlongandearnestlyatDuane，andhisquick，nervousmannerchangedtogravethoughtfulness。
　　"I’velotstosay，butwheretobegin，"hemused。"Duane，you’vehadahardlifesinceyouwentonthedodge。Inevermetyoubefore，don’tknowwhatyoulookedlikeasaboy。ButIcanseewhat——well，evenrangerlifeisn’tallroses。"
　　Herolledhiscigarbetweenhislipsandpuffedcloudsofsmoke。
　　"EverhearfromhomesinceyouleftWellston？"heasked，abruptly。
　　"No。"
　　"Neveraword？"
　　"Notone，"repliedDuane，sadly。
　　"That’stough。I’mgladtobeabletotellyouthatuptojustlatelyyourmother，sister，uncle——allyourfolks，I
　　believe——werewell。I’vekeptposted。Buthaven’theardlately。"
　　Duaneavertedhisfaceamoment，hesitatedtilltheswellinglefthisthroat，andthensaid，"It’sworthwhatIwentthroughto—daytohearthat。"
　　"Icanimaginehowyoufeelaboutit。WhenIwasinthewar——
　　butlet’sgetdowntothebusinessofthismeeting。"
　　HepulledhischairclosetoDuane’s。
　　"You’vehadwordmorethanonceinthelasttwoyearsthatI
　　wantedtoseeyou？"
　　"Threetimes，Iremember，"repliedDuane。
　　"Whydidn’tyouhuntmeup？"
　　"Isupposedyouimaginedmeoneofthosegun—fighterswhocouldn’ttakeadareandexpectedmetorideuptoyourcampandbearrested。"
　　"Thatwasnatural，Isuppose，"wentonMacNelly。"Youdidn’tknowme，otherwiseyouwouldhavecome。I’vebeenalongtimegettingtoyou。Butthenatureofmyjob，asfarasyou’reconcerned，mademecautious。Duane，you’reawareofthehardnameyoubearallovertheSouthwest？"
　　"OnceinawhileI’mjarredintorealizing，"repliedDuane。
　　"It’sthehardest，barringMurrellandCheseldine，ontheTexasborder。Butthere’sthisdifference。Murrellinhisdaywasknowntodeservehisinfamousname。Cheseldineinhisdayalso。
　　ButI’vefoundhundredsofmeninsouthwestTexaswho’reyourfriends，whoswearyounevercommittedacrime。ThefarthersouthIgettheclearerthisbecomes。WhatIwanttoknowisthetruth。Haveyoueverdoneanythingcriminal？Tellmethetruth，Duane。Itwon’tmakeanydifferenceinmyplan。AndwhenIsaycrimeImeanwhatIwouldcallcrime，oranyreasonableTexan。"
　　"Thatwaymyhandsareclean，"repliedDuane。
　　"Youneverheldupaman，robbedastoreforgrub，stoleahorsewhenyouneededhimbad——neveranythinglikethat？"
　　"SomehowIalwayskeptoutofthat，justwhenpressedthehardest。"
　　"Duane，I’mdamnglad！"MacNellyexclaimed，grippingDuane’shand。"Gladforyoumother’ssakelBut，allthesame，inspiteofthis，youareaTexasoutlawaccountabletothestate。
　　You’reperfectlyawarethatunderexistingcircumstances，ifyoufellintothehandsofthelaw，you’dprobablyhang，atleastgotojailforalongterm。"
　　"That’swhatkeptmeonthedodgealltheseyears，"repliedDuane。
　　"Certainly。"MacNellyremovedhiscigar。Hiseyesnarrowedandglittered。Themusclesalonghisbrowncheekssethardandtense。HeleanedclosertoDuane，laidsinewy，pressingfingersuponDuane’sknee。
　　"Listentothis，"hewhispered，hoarsely。"IfIplaceapardoninyourhand——makeyouafree，honestcitizenoncemore，clearyournameofinfamy，makeyourmother，yoursisterproudofyou——willyouswearyourselftoaservice，ANYserviceIdemandofyou？"
　　Duanesatstockstill，stunned。
　　Slowly，morepersuasively，withshowofearnestagitation，CaptainMacNellyreiteratedhisstartlingquery。
　　"MyGod！"burstfromDuane。"What’sthis？MacNelly，youCAN’T
　　beinearnest！"
　　"Nevermoresoinmylife。I’veadeepgame。I’mplayingitsquare。Whatdoyousay？"
　　Herosetohisfeet。Duane，asifimpelled，rosewithhim。
　　Rangerandoutlawthenlockedeyesthatsearchedeachother’ssouls。InMacNelly’sDuanereadtruth，strong，fierypurpose，hope，evengladness，andafugitivemountingassuranceofvictory。
　　TwiceDuaneendeavoredtospeak，failedofallsaveahoarse，incoherentsound，until，forcingbackafloodofspeech，hefoundavoice。
　　"Anyservice？Everyservice！MacNelly，Igivemyword，"saidDuane。
　　AlightplayedoverMacNelly’sface，warmingoutallthegrimdarkness。Heheldouthishand。Duanemetitwithhisinaclaspthatmenunconsciouslygiveinmomentsofstress。
　　WhentheyunclaspedandDuanesteppedbacktodropintoachairMacNellyfumbledforanothercigar——hehadbittentheotherintoshreds——and，lightingitasbefore，heturnedtohisvisitor，nowcalmandcool。Hehadthelookofamanwhohadjustlywonsomethingatconsiderablecost。Hisnextmovewastotakealongleathercasefromhispocketandextractfromitseveralfoldedpapers。
　　"Here’syourpardonfromtheGovernor，"hesaid，quietly。
　　"You’llsee，whenyoulookitover，thatit’sconditional。WhenyousignthispaperIhaveheretheconditionwillbemet。"
　　Hesmoothedoutthepaper，handedDuaneapen，ranhisforefingeralongadottedline。
　　Duane’shandwasshaky。Yearshadpassedsincehehadheldapen。Itwaswithdifficultythatheachievedhissignature。
　　BuckleyDuane——howstrangethenamelooked！
　　"RighthereendsthecareerofBuckDuane，outlawandgunfighter，"saidMacNelly;and，seatinghimself，hetookthepenfromDuane’sfingersandwroteseverallinesinseveralplacesuponthepaper。ThenwithasmilehehandedittoDuane。
　　"ThatmakesyouamemberofCompanyA，TexasRangers。"
　　"Sothat’sit！"burstoutDuane，alightbreakinginuponhisbewilderment。"Youwantmeforrangerservice？"
　　"Sure。That’sit，"repliedtheCaptain，dryly。"Nowtohearwhatthatserviceistobe。I’vebeenabusymansinceItookthisjob，and，asyoumayhaveheard，I’vedoneafewthings。I
　　don’tmindtellingyouthatpoliticalinfluenceputmeinhereandthatupAustinwaythere’sagooddealoffrictionintheDepartmentofStateinregardtowhetherornottherangerserviceisanygood——whetheritshouldbediscontinuedornot。
　　I’monthepartysidewho’sdefendingtherangerservice。I
　　contendthatit’smadeTexashabitable。Well，it’sbeenuptometoproduceresults。SofarIhavebeensuccessful。Mygreatambitionistobreakuptheoutlawgangsalongtheriver。I
　　haveneverventuredinthereyetbecauseI’vebeenwaitingtogetthelieutenantIneeded。You，ofcourse，arethemanIhadinmind。It’smyideatostartwayuptheRioGrandeandbeginwithCheseldine。He’sthestrongest，theworstoutlawofthetimes。He’smorethanrustler。It’sCheseldineandhisgangwhoareoperatingonthebanks。They’redoingbank—robbing。That’smyprivateopinion，butit’snotbeenbackedupbyanyevidence。Cheseldinedoesn’tleaveevidences。He’sintelligent，cunning。Nooneseemstohaveseenhim——toknowwhathelookslike。Iassume，ofcourse，thatyouareastrangertothecountryhedominates。It’sfivehundredmileswestofyourground。There’salittletownovertherecalledFairdale。It’sthenestofarustlergang。Theyrustleandmurderatwill。
　　Nobodyknowswhotheleaderis。Iwantyoutofindout。Well，whateverwayyoudecideisbestyouwillproceedtoactupon。
　　Youareyourownboss。Youknowsuchmenandhowtheycanbeapproached。Youwilltakeallthetimeneeded，ifit’smonths。
　　Itwillbenecessaryforyoutocommunicatewithme，andthatwillbeadifficultmatter。ForCheseldinedominatesseveralwholecounties。YoumustfindsomewaytoletmeknowwhenI
　　andmyrangersareneeded。TheplanistobreakupCheseldine’sgang。It’sthetoughestjobontheborder。Arrestinghimaloneisn’ttobeheardof。Hecouldn’tbebroughtout。Killinghimisn’tmuchbetter，forhisselectmen，theonesheoperateswith，areasdangeroustothecommunityasheis。Wewanttokillorjailthischoiceselectionofrobbersandbreakuptherestofthegang。Tofindthem，togetamongthemsomehow，tolearntheirmovements，tolayyourtrapforusrangerstospring——that，Duane，isyourservicetome，andGodknowsit’sagreatone！"
　　"Ihaveacceptedit，"repliedDuane。
　　"Yourworkwillbesecret。Youarenowarangerinmyservice。
　　ButnooneexceptthefewIchoosetotellwillknowofituntilwepulloffthejob。YouwillsimplybeBuckDuanetillitsuitsourpurposetoacquaintTexaswiththefactthatyou’rearanger。You’llseethere’snodateonthatpaper。Noonewilleverknowjustwhenyouenteredtheservice。Perhapswecanmakeitappearthatallormostofyouroutlawryhasreallybeengoodservicetothestate。Atthat，I’llbelieveit’llturnoutso。"
　　MacNellypausedamomentinhisrapidtalk，chewedhiscigar，drewhisbrowstogetherinadarkfrown，andwenton。"Nomanontheborderknowssowellasyouthedeadlynatureofthisservice。It’sathousandtoonethatyou’llbekilled。I’dsaytherewasnochanceatallforanyothermanbesideyou。Yourreputationwillgofaramongtheoutlaws。Maybethatandyournerveandyourgun—playwillpullyouthrough。I’mhopingso。
　　Butit’salong，longchanceagainstyourevercomingback。"
　　"That’snotthepoint，"saidDuane。"ButincaseIgetkilledoutthere——what——"
　　"Leavethattome，"interruptedCaptainMacNelly。"Yourfolkswillknowatonceofyourpardonandyourrangerduty。IfyouloseyourlifeoutthereI’llseeyournamecleared——theserviceyourenderknown。Youcanrestassuredofthat。"
　　"Iamsatisfied，"repliedDuane。"That’ssomuchmorethanI’vedaredtohope。"
　　"Well，it’ssettled，then。I’llgiveyoumoneyforexpenses。
　　You’llstartassoonasyoulike——thesoonerthebetter。Ihopetothinkofothersuggestions，especiallyaboutcommunicatingwithme。"
　　Longafterthelightswereoutandthelowhumofvoiceshadceasedroundthecamp—fireDuanelaywideawake，eyesstaringintotheblackness，marvelingoverthestrangeeventsoftheday。Hewashumble，gratefultothedepthsofhissoul。Ahugeandcrushingburdenhadbeenliftedfromhisheart。Hewelcomedthishazardousservicetothemanwhohadsavedhim。ThoughtofhismotherandsisterandUncleJim，ofhishome，ofoldfriendscamerushingoverhimthefirsttimeinyearsthathehadhappinessinthememory。Thedisgracehehadputuponthemwouldnowberemoved;andinthelightofthat，hiswastedlifeofthepast，anditsprobabletragicendinfutureserviceasatonementchangedtheiraspects。Andashelaythere，withtheapproachofsleepfinallydimmingthevividnessofhisthought，sofullofmystery，shadowyfacesfloatedintheblacknessaroundhim，hauntinghimashehadalwaysbeenhaunted。
　　Itwasbroaddaylightwhenheawakened。MacNellywascallinghimtobreakfast。Outsidesoundedvoicesofmen，cracklingoffires，snortingandstampingofhorses，thebarkingofdogs。
　　Duanerolledoutofhisblanketsandmadegooduseofthesoapandtowelandrazorandbrushnearbyonabench——thingsofrareluxurytoanoutlawontheride。Thefacehesawinthemirrorwasasstrangeasthepasthehadtriedsohardtorecall。Thenhesteppedtothedoorandwentout。
　　Therangerswereeatinginacircleroundatarpaulinspreadupontheground。
　　"Fellows，"saidMacNelly，"shakehandswithBuckDuane。He’sonsecretrangerserviceforme。Servicethat’lllikelymakeyouallhumpsoon！Mindyou，keepmumaboutit。"
　　TherangerssurprisedDuanewitharoaringgreeting，thewarmthofwhichhesoondivinedwasdividedbetweenprideofhisacquisitiontotheirranksandeagernesstomeetthatviolentserviceofwhichtheircaptainhinted。Theywerejolly，wildfellows，withjustenoughgravityintheirwelcometoshowDuanetheirrespectandappreciation，whilenotforgettinghislone—wolfrecord。Whenhehadseatedhimselfinthatcircle，nowoneofthem，afeelingsubtleandupliftingpervadedhim。
　　AfterthemealCaptainMacNellydrewDuaneaside。
　　"Here’sthemoney。Makeitgoasfarasyoucan。BetterstrikestraightforElPaso，snookaroundthereandhearthings。ThengotoValentine。That’sneartheriverandwithinfiftymilesorsooftheedgeoftheRimRock。SomewhereupthereCheseldineholdsfort。SomewheretothenorthisthetownFairdale。Buthedoesn’thideallthetimeintherocks。Onlyaftersomedaringraidorhold—up。Cheseldine’sgotbordertownsonhisstaff，orscaredofhim，andtheseplaceswewanttoknowabout，especiallyFairdale。WritemecareoftheadjutantatAustin。Idon’thavetowarnyoutobecarefulwhereyoumailletters。Rideahundred，twohundredmiles，ifnecessary，orgocleartoElPaso。"
　　MacNellystoppedwithanairoffinality，andthenDuaneslowlyrose。
　　"I’llstartatonce，"hesaid，extendinghishandtotheCaptain。"Iwish——I’dliketothankyou。"
　　"Hell，man！Don’tthankme！"repliedMacNelly，crushingtheprofferedhand。"I’vesentalotofgoodmentotheirdeaths，andmaybeyou’reanother。But，asI’vesaid，you’veonechanceinathousand。And，byHeaven！I’dhatetobeCheseldineoranyothermanyouweretrailing。No，notgood—by——Adios，Duane！Maywemeetagain！"