He saw a glint of humor in Lawler’s eyes—­a sign that the man’s passions were not to be permitted to break the leash in which he held them—­and he grew bolder, his voice taking on a vindictive note.

“And I want to tell you another thing, Lawler.  As long as I am resident buyer at Willets you’ll never ship a hoof through me.  Understand that!  You can drive to Red Rock and be damned!  If you’d been halfway decent about this thing; if you hadn’t come swaggering into my office trying to dictate to me, and calling me a liar, I’d have kept Lefingwell’s agreement with you!”

“Then Lefingwell wasn’t the liar,” smiled Lawler; “you’re admitting it.”

Warden’s face grew poisonously malevolent.  He laughed, hoarsely.

“Bah!” he jeered.  “We’ll say I lied.  What of it!  I didn’t want to antagonize you, then.  Only a fool is truthful at all times.”  He laughed again, mockingly.  “I’m truthful when I want to be.”

He saw the frank disgust in Lawler’s eyes, and the desire to drive it out, to make the man betray some sign of the perturbation that must be in him, drove Warden to an indiscretion.

“You’re a wise guy, Lawler,” he jeered.  “A minute ago you hinted that this thing was being engineered by a bunch of cheap crooks.  Call them what you like.  They’re out to break you—­understand?  You suspect it, and I’m telling you.  You went around last fall with a chip on your shoulder, making trouble far Haughton and his friends.  And now they’re going to bust you wide open and scatter your remains all over the country.  They’re going to fix you so that you’ll never shoot off your gab about conditions in the state again.  Governor—­hell! you’ll be a bum before that gang gets through with you!”

He paused, breathing rapidly, his face pale with passion; his eyes glowing with hatred, naked and bitter.

He heard Lawler’s short, mirthless laugh; he saw Lawler’s eyes narrow and gleam with a cold flame as he took a step forward and stood over him.

“Get up, Warden,” came Lawler’s voice, low and vibrant.  “You’ll understand what I’m going to say a whole lot better if you’re on your feet, like a man.”

Warden got up, defiantly, and for an instant the two men stood looking into each other’s eyes, both understanding the enmity that was between them, and both seemingly exulting in it.

“I’m thanking you, Warden, for telling me.  But I’ve known, since I talked with Simmons about the cars, just what it all meant.  My talks with Hatfield and Governor Haughton convinced me beyond all reasonable doubt.  I’m the man they are after, of course.  But incidentally, they’re going to mulct every other cattle owner in the state.  It’s a mighty big scheme—­a stupendous robbery.  The man who conceived it should have been a pirate—­he has all the instincts of one.

“But get this straight.  You’ve got to fight me.  Understand?  You’ll drag no woman into it.  You went to the Hamlin ranch the other day.  God’s grace and a woman’s mercy permitted you to get away, alive.  Don’t let it happen again.  Just as sure as you molest a woman in this section, just so sure will I kill you no matter who your friends are!  Do you understand that, Warden?”