He was out
of the saddle before Lawler clambered slowly out of his, and he stood
near as Lawler walked to the door of the building and began to mount
the stairs--going up slowly, swaying from side to side and placing his
hands against the wall on either side of him for support. And when
Lawler finally reached the top of the stairs and threw open the door of
Warden's office, Shorty was so close to him that he might have touched
his shoulder.
Warden was sitting at his desk when Lawler opened the door, and he
continued to sit there--staring hard at Lawler as the latter swayed
across the room to bring up with a lurch against Warden's desk, his
hands grasping its edge.
"Warden," said Lawler--and Shorty marveled at the cold steadiness of his
voice; "I have just killed Antrim. Antrim's men ran off three thousand
head of my cattle and killed about twenty of my men--five at the Circle
L and the rest in a fight on the plains not far from the Two Bar. Antrim
burned my buildings. Twenty-five thousand dollars for the buildings, and
ninety thousand for the cattle not to mention my men.
"I've got no proof that you were implicated in the deal; but I am
convinced that you planned it--that you got Antrim and his gang to do
the work. That evidence doesn't go in law, though, Warden--and you know
it.
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