He rode slowly into Scoria, alert, watching windows, doors and corners, and dismounted before Quiggs’ saloon, which was the really "high-toned" thirst parlor in the town. He noticed that the proprietor had put black shades to the windows and door and then, glancing quickly around, entered. He made straight for the partition in the rear of the building, but the proprietor’s voice checked him. "You needn’t bother, Skinny—there ain’t nobody in there; an’ I locked th’ back door an hour ago." He glanced around the room and added, with studied carelessness: "You don’t want to get any reckless today." He mopped the bar slowly and coughed apologetically. "Don’t get careless." "I won’t—it’s me that’s doin’ th’ hunting today," Skinny replied, meaningly. "Him a-hunting for me yesterday, when he shore knowed I was n’t in town, when he knowed he could n’t find me! I was getting good an’ tired of him, an’ so when Walt rode over to see me last night an’ told me what th’ coyote was doing yesterday, an’ what he was yelling around, I just natchurly had to straddle leather an’ come in. I can’t let him put that onto me. Nobody can call me a card cheat an’ a coward an’ a few other choice things like he did without seeing me, an’ seeing me quick. An’ I shore hope he ’s sober. Are both of ’em in town, Larry?" "No; only Dick. But he’s making noise enough for two. He shore raised th’ devil yesterday." "Well, I ’m goin’ North trailin’ Lanky, but before I leave I ’m shore goin’ to sweeten things around here. If I go away without getting him he ’ll say he scared me out, so I ’ll have to do it when I come back, anyhow. You see, it might just as well be today. But th’ next time I sit in a game with fellers that can’t drop fifty dollars without saying they was cheated I ’ll be a blamed sight bigger fool than I am right now. I should n’t ’a’ taken cards with ’em after what has passed. Why didn’t they say they was cheated, then an’ there, an’ not wait till three days after I left town? All that’s bothering me is Sam: if I get his brother when he ain’t around, an’ then goes North, he ’ll say I had to jump th’ town to get away from him. But I ’ll stop that by giving him his chance at me when I get back." "Say, why don’t you wait a day an’ get ’em both before you go?" asked Quigg hopefully. "Can’t: Lanky ’s got two days’ start on me an’ I want to catch him soon as I can." "I can’t get it through my head, nohow," Quigg remarked. "Everybody knows you play square. I reckon they’re hard losers."