"You queered the game last time," muttered the stranger. "But you'll
never queer it again."
Mr. Magee saved his breath. Together they crashed against the side of
the inn. Together they squirmed away, across the balcony to the railing.
Still back and forth, now in the moonlight, now in shadow, wildly they
fought. Once Mr. Magee felt his feet slip from beneath him, but caught
himself in time. His strength was going--surely--quickly. Then suddenly
his opponent seemed to weaken in his grip. With a supreme effort Magee
forced him down upon the balcony floor, and tumbled on top of him. He
felt the chill of the snow under his knees, and its wetness in his
cuffs.
"Now," he cried to himself.
The other still struggled desperately. But his struggle was without
success. For deftly Billy Magee drew from his pocket the precious
package about which there had been so much debate on Baldpate Mountain.
He clasped it close, rose and ran. In another second he was inside
number seven, and had lighted a candle at the blazing logs.
Once more he examined that closely packed little bundle; once more he
found it rich in greenbacks. Assuredly it was the greatly desired thing
he had fought for the night before. He had it again. And this time, he
told himself, he would not lose sight of it until he had placed it in
the hands of the girl of the station.
The dark shadow of the man he had just robbed was hovering at his
windows. Magee turned hastily to the door. As he did so it opened, and
Hayden entered. He carried a pistol in his hand; his face was hard,
cruel, determined; his usually expressionless eyes lighted with pleasure
as they fell on the package in Mr. Magee's possession.
"It seems I'm just in time," he said, "to prevent highway robbery."
"You think so?" asked Magee.
"See here, young man," remarked Hayden, glancing nervously over his
shoulder, "I can't waste any time in talk. Does that money belong to
you? No. Well, it does belong to me. I'm going to have it. Don't think
I'm afraid to shoot to get it. The law permits a man to fire on the
thief who tries to fleece him."
"The law, did you say?" laughed Billy Magee. "I wouldn't drag the law
into this if I were you, Mr. Hayden. I'm sure it has no connection with
events on Baldpate Mountain. You would be the last to want its attention
to be directed here. I've got this money, and I'm going to keep it."
Hayden considered a brief moment, and then swore under his breath.
"You're right," he said. "I'm not going to shoot. But there are other
ways, you whipper-snapper--" He dropped the revolver into his pocket and
sprang forward. For the second time within ten minutes Mr. Magee
steadied himself for conflict.
But Hayden stopped. Some one had entered the room through the window
behind Magee. In the dim light of the single candle Magee saw Hayden's
face go white, his lip twitch, his eyes glaze with horrible surprise.
His arms fell limply to his sides.
"Good God! Kendrick!" he cried.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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