“I reckon he never learned to ride herd on his fears.”

“Jack Beaudry told me about him onc’t.  The kid was born after his mother had been worrying herself sick about Jack.  She never could tell when he’d be brought home dead.  Well, Roy inherited fear.  I’ve noticed that when a sidewinder rattles, he jumps.  Same way, when any one comes up and surprises him.  It’s what you might call constitootional with him.”

“Yep.  That’s how I’ve got it figured.  But—­” Pat hesitated and looked meditatively out of the window.

“All right.  Onload yore mind.  Gimme the run of the pen just as yore thoughts happen,” suggested the cattleman.

“Well, I’m thinking—­that he’s been lucky, Dave.  But soon as Tighe’s tools guess what we know, something’s going to happen to Beaudry.  He’s got them buffaloed now.  But Charlton and Meldrum ain’t going to quit.  Can you tell me how your frind will stand the acid next time hell pops?”

Dave shook his head.  “I cannot.  That’s just what is worrying me.  There are men that have to be lashed on by ridicule to stand the gaff.  But Roy is not like that.  I reckon he’s all the time flogging himself like the penitentes.  He’s sick with shame because he can’t go out grinning to meet his troubles. . . .  There ain’t a thing I can do for him.  He’s got to play out his hand alone.”

“Sure he has, and if the luck breaks right, I wouldn’t put it past him to cash in a winner.  He’s gamer than most of us because he won’t quit even when the divvle of terror is riding his back.”

“Another point in his favor is that he learns easily.  When he first came out to the Lazy Double D, he was afraid of horses.  He has got over that.  Give him another month and he’ll be a pretty fair shot.  Up till the time he struck this country, Roy had lived a soft city life.  He’s beginning to toughen.  The things that scare a man are those that are mysteries to him.  Any kid will fight his own brother because he knows all about him, but he’s plumb shy about tackling a strange boy.  Well, that’s how it is with Roy.  He has got the notion that Meldrum and Charlton are terrors, but now he has licked them onc’t, he won’t figure them out as so bad.”

“He didn’t exactly lick them in a stand-up fight, Dave.”

“No, he just knocked them down and tromped on them and put them out of business,” agreed Dingwell dryly.

The eyes of the little Irishman twinkled.  “Brad Charlton is giving it out that it was an accident.”

“That’s what I’d call it, too, if I was Brad,” assented the cattleman with a grin.  “But if we could persuade Roy to put over about one more accident like that, I reckon Huerfano Park would let him alone.”

“While Jess Tighe is living?”

Dingwell fell grave.  “I’d forgotten Tighe.  No, I expect the kid had better keep his weather eye peeled as long as that castor-oil smile of Jess is working.”