Warden, standing in front of the fireplace, noted the blanket suspended
from the ceiling, swinging between the two tiers of bunks. He started,
his face paled, and he looked searchingly at Lawler. And then, observing
that Lawler was paying no attention to him, he moved slowly toward one
of the bunks--the one Miss Wharton had occupied--noting the disturbed
bedclothing. A white piece of cloth, crumpled and soiled, lay on a
gray blanket. He took it up swiftly, stuck it into the front of his
heavy coat and turned again toward the fireplace. With his back to
Lawler he swiftly examined the cloth he had picked up. It was a
handkerchief--a woman's--and in one corner of it was an embroidered
monogram containing the letters "D.W." It was Della's--he had seen that
and others like it, many times, in her hands and at the Two Diamond, on
the wash line.
For a long time, with his back to Lawler, Warden fought to control the
terrible jealousy that the finding of the handkerchief had aroused in
him. His face was contorted with passion; his eyes were aflame with it.
He had hated Lawler before; now the passion was a malignant poison that
burned, through his veins like fire.
He did not trust himself to speak--his voice would have betrayed him. He
walked past Lawler, sneering silently as he reached the door, looking
back as he opened it and stood on the threshold, muttering hoarsely:
"You'll hang for this, Lawler--damn you!"
Lawler heard the Two Diamond men ride away, and he went to the door at
the sound they made and saw they were carrying the bodies of Link and
Givens--they were lashed to their horses, which the Two Diamond men had
taken from the dugout. He watched them out of sight.
It was only an hour or so later when Davies and Harris clattered to the
door of the cabin. They were red and embarrassed, and confessed they had
been intoxicated. But they were much relieved when they found that
Lawler had headed the herd into the valley; and they were filled with
rage when Lawler told them of the fence cutting and the killing of the
two men. And they were delighted when Lawler told them to go on duty at
the cabin, not even mentioning their dereliction.
Half an hour after the appearance of Davies and Harris half a dozen
Circle L men rode up, eager-eyed, overjoyed at finding their "boss".
They were covered with snow from their ride up the valley, through the
big drifts they had encountered, but the glow in their eyes when they
saw Lawler was safe indicated they had forgotten the rigors of the ride.
They told him the herd had reached the shelters and that few of the
cattle were missing; and a little later, with Lawler riding with them,
they set out for the Circle L, shouting and laughing like schoolboys.
Shorty, the tawny-haired giant, was with them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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