"Well, they's nobody here knows me," said Nolan. "S'pose we go over to your room an' have a talk." "All right," agreed Nevins, after an instant's hesitation. And they walked away together. "What are you going to do now?" he asked, a moment later. "Th' fust thing I'm a-goin' t' do," answered Nolan, his eyes shining fiercely, "is t' git even with that dirty rat of an Allan West, who sent me to th' pen." "All right," said Nevins, heartily. "I'm with you there. I don't like him, either. Only, of course, you'll not--you'll not--" "Oh, don't be afeerd," snarled Nolan. "I ain't a-goin' t' kill him. I got too much sense t' run my head in a noose. Besides, that ain't what I want. That ain't good enough! I want somethin' t' happen that'll disgrace him, that he'll never git over--somethin' that'll haunt him all his life. He holds his head too high, an' I'm a-goin' t' make him hold it low!" "I see," said Nevins, thoughtfully. "Well, we can manage it some way." "O' course we kin," agreed Nolan, and licked his lips eagerly. "Afore I git through with him, he'll be sorry he was ever born!" Nevins nodded. "We can manage it," he repeated. "Here we are," he added, and stopped before a two-story frame dwelling-house. "My room is up-stairs. Come along," and he opened the front door. Nolan followed him through the door and up the stairs. Nevins opened another door, struck a match to show his companion the way, and then lighted a lamp which stood on a table in the middle of the room. Then he closed the door and locked it, and going to the window, pulled down the blind so that no one could see in from the outside. Then he went to a bureau which stood in one corner, unlocked it and got out a box of stogies, a sack of sugar, a bottle of whiskey, and two glasses. He stirred up the fire in the little stove which warmed the room, and set over it a kettle which he filled with water from the pitcher on his washstand. Nolan, who had been watching him with greedy eyes, licking his lips from time to time, dropped into a chair with a grunt of satisfaction. "You're all right, Nevins," he said. "You treat a feller decent." "Of course I do," agreed Nevins, "especially when he's my friend. Now we can talk." An hour later, any one looking in upon them, would have seen them sitting together before the fire, their heads nodding, and the room so filled with tobacco-smoke that the flame of the lamp showed through it dim and yellow. Nevins was snoring heavily, but Nolan was still awake and was muttering hoarsely to himself. "That's it!" he said. "That's th' ticket! You've got a great head, Nevins! No, I'll never tell--not arter you're helpin' me out this way. Why, we kin work it easy as greased lightnin'. Nobody'll ever know--an' that kid'll never git over it. He's that kind--it'll haunt him! Why, I wouldn't be surprised if he went crazy!" Nevins awoke with a start. "Come on," he said, "let's go to bed."