"Yes, he did; but I wasn’t shore it was you," replied Murphy. "So I acted natural. Th’ house is past endurin’ with th’ winders an’ door closed; an’ not knowin’ what ye might have to talk about I naturally distrusted th’ walls. This whole town has ears. Out here in th’ open a man will have more trouble fillin’ his ear with other people’s business. How are ye?" "Hot, an’ close," chuckled Tex. "Also curious an’ lonesome." He crossed his legs tailor fashion, and then seemed to weigh something in his mind, for after a moment he changed and lay on his stomach and elbows. "I don’t stick up so plain, this way," he explained. "I hear ye trimmed old Frowsyhead at poker," said Murphy, "an’ won a good hoss. Beats all how a man wants to smoke when he shouldn’t. Have a chew?" "I’ll own to that vice in a limited degree and under certain conditions," admitted Tex, taking the huge plug. "An’ I’ll confess that to my way of thinkin’ it’s th’ only way to get th’ full flavor of th’ leaf; but I ain’t sayin’ it’s th’ neatest." "’Tis fine trainin’ for th’ eye," replied Murphy, the twinkle in his own hidden by the night. "An’ develops amazin’ judgment of distance," supplemented Tex, chuckling. "There’s some I’d like to try it on--Hennery Williams, for instance." "Aye," growled Murphy in hearty accord. "He’ll be lucky if he ain’t hit by somethin’ solider than tobaccy juice. I fair itch to twist his skinny neck." "A most praiseworthy longing," rejoined Tex, a sudden sharpness in his voice. "How long has he been deservin’ such a reward?" "Since _she_ first came here," growled his companion. "That was why I wanted Mike Costigan to get his family out av th’ way, for I’m tellin’ ye flat, Costigans or no Costigans, that little miss will be a widder on her weddin’ day, if it gets that far. Th’ d--d blackguard! I’ve kept me hand hid, for ’tis a true sayin’ that forewarned is forearmed. They’ll have no reason to watch me close, an’ then it’ll be too late. Call it murder if ye will, but I’ll be proud av it." "Hardly murder," murmured Tex. "Not even homicide, which is a combination of Latin words meanin’ th’ killin’ of a human bein’. To flatter th’ noble Hennery a little, I’d go so far as to admit it might reach th’ dignity of vermicide. An’ no honest man should find fault with th’ killin’ of a worm. Th’ Costigans should be persuaded to move." "Ye try it," grunted Murphy sententiously. "Can ye dodge quick?" "Nobody ever justly accused me of tryin’ to dodge a woman," said Tex. "There must be a way to get around her determination." "Yes?" queried Murphy, the inflection of the monosyllable leaving nothing to be learned but the harrowing details. "Coax her to go to Willow," persisted Tex. "She don’t like th’ town." "Yore inference is shore misleadin’," commented Tex. "I’d take it from that that she does like Windsor." "Divvil a bit; but she stays where Mike is."