The man regarded her gravely: "Seems to me he did say--back there in the saloon, when he was holdin' kangaroo court. The rookus hadn't started yet, an' he says----" Alice had thrown herself from her horse, and stood before the man, the wild flowers clutched tightly in her hand. "Was it Tex?" she interrupted, impatiently. The man nodded: "Yeh, it was Tex----" "Tex Benton?" The man scratched at his head: "Seems like that's what he said. Anyways, he claimed he was here a year ago, an' he aimed to git drunk on account of some kind of an anniversary, or somethin'--an' he will, too, if he drinks up all them fines----" Alice interrupted by clutching the man's arm and shaking it vigorously. "Oh, tell them to stop shooting!" she cried. "They'll kill him! Let me go in to him! I can reason with him." The man regarded her with sudden interest: "D'you know him?" "Yes, yes! Hurry and tell them to stop shooting!" "You wait here a minute, an' I'll git Hod Blake, he's the marshal." The man disappeared and a moment later came toward her with another man, the two followed by a goodly part of the crowd. The tall man stepped to the girl's side: "This here's Hod," he announced by way of introduction and, "that's her." Gun in hand, Hod Blake nodded curtly: "D'you say you know this here party?" he asked. "Yes, that is, I think I do." "Ike, here, says how you figgered you could go in an' make him surrender." Alice nodded, somehow, that word surrender had an ominous sound. "He hasn't--killed anyone, has he?" "No, he ain't killed no one--yet. He nicked Pete Barras in the arm, an' has otherwise feloniously disturbed the peace of Timber City to a extent it'll cost him a hundred dollars' fine besides damages fer shootin' up, an' causin' to git shot up, the Red Front saloon." "And, you'd kill a man for that!" cried the girl, indignantly. "I'll tell a hand, we'll kill him! Anyone that starts gun-play in Timber City's got to go on through with it." "You're cowards!" exclaimed the girl. "How many of you are there against one man?" "That don't make no difference. We got the law on our side, an' he ain't on his'n. He come in here a-huntin' trouble--an' he got it. An' he'll pay his fine, an' settle up with Pete Barras, or we'll plant him--one." Alice thrust the flowers into the bosom of her soft shirt and regarded the man coldly: "If all of you brave gun-fighters are afraid to go in there and get him, I'll go. I'm not afraid." Ike Stork warned her: "You better keep out of it, mom. He's lickered up an' liable to shoot sudden." "I'm not afraid," repeated the girl. Hod Blake shrugged: "Go ahead if you want to. Tell him we'll git him, sure, if he don't give himself up. An' s'pose you git shot, fer yer trouble, you got any folks to notify?" Alice glanced at him coldly: "My husband is up at Mr. Cameron's with Mr. Colston, you might mention it to him, if you think of it," she answered scornfully. "Get me a light."