"Sometime--soon--it's going to be me and you, sweetheart," he whispered. "Don't," she begged, struggling against herself and him. "If Tony sees--" His passion was too keen-edged to take warning. He kissed her lips and throat and eyes. The eyes of the watcher never wavered. They were narrowed to shining slits of jet. "Why do you come and--and follow me?" the girl cried softly. "It is not that you do not know Tony is jealous. This is not play with him. He loves me and will fight for me. You are mad." "For love of you!" he laughed triumphantly. She knew he lied. The instinct that served her for a conscience had long since told her as much. But her vanity, and perhaps something deeper, craved satisfaction. She wanted to believe he meant it. Under his ardent gaze the long lashes of the girl drooped to her dusky cheeks. It was Tony she loved, but Tony offered her only happiness and not excitement. A moment later she gave a startled little cry and pushed herself free. Her dilated eyes were fixed on something behind the cattleman. Rutherford, warned by her expression, whirled on his heel. Tony Alviro, knife in hand, was close upon him. Wadley lashed out hard with his left and caught the Mexican on the point of the chin. The blow lifted Tony from his feet and flung him at full length to the ground. He tried to rise, groaned--rolled over. Bonita was beside him in an instant. From where she knelt, with Tony's dark head in her arms pressed close to her bosom, she turned fiercely on Wadley. "I hate you, dog of a _gringo_! You are all one big lie through and through--what they call bad egg--no good!" Already half a dozen men were charging from the house. Jumbo pinned Wadley's arms by the elbows to prevent him from drawing a revolver. "What's the rumpus?" he demanded. "The fellow tried to knife me in the back," explained Rutherford. "Jealous, because I took his girl." "So?" grunted Wilkins. "Well, you'd better light a shuck out o' here. You came on yore own invite. You can go on mine." "Why should I go? I'll see you at Tombstone first." "Why?" Jumbo's voice was no longer amiable and ingratiating. "Because you gave Tony a raw deal, an' he's got friends here. Have _you_?" Wadley looked round and saw here and there Mexican faces filled with sullen resentment. It came to him swiftly that this was no place for his father's son to linger. "I don't push my society on any one," he said haughtily. "If I ain't welcome, I'll go. But I serve notice right here that any one who tries to pull a knife on me will get cold lead next time." Jumbo, with his arm tucked under that of Wadley, led the way to the house. He untied the rein of Rutherford's horse and handed it to the son of his boss. "_Vamos!_" he said. The young man pulled himself to the saddle. "You're a hell of a friend," he snarled. "Who said anything about bein' a friend? I'm particular about when I use that word," replied Wilkins evenly, with hard eyes.