"Them was the words he used, Steve, honest to God. Used them to Butch! "Well, Conklin was too flabbergasted to budge, and Bard, he leaned over and says to Sally: 'This floor is fairly smooth. Suppose you and I dance till I get a chance to eat?' "We didn't know whether to laugh or to cheer, but most of us compromised by keeping an eye on Butch's gun. "Sally says, 'Sure I'll dance,' and gets up. "'Wait!' hollers Butch; 'are you leavin' me for this wall-eyed galoot?' "There ain't nothin' Sally loves more'n a fight--we all know that. But this time I guess she took pity on the poor tenderfoot, or maybe she jest didn't want to get her floor all messed up. "'Keep your hat on, Butch,' she says, 'all I want to do is to give him some motherly advice.' "'If you're acting that part,' says Bard, calm as you please, 'I've got to tell mother that she's been keeping some pretty bad company.' "'Some what?' bellers Butch, not believin' his ears. "And young Bard, he steps around the girl and stands over Butch. "'Bad company is what I said,' he repeats, 'but maybe I can be convinced.' "'Easy,' says Butch, and reaches for his gun. "We all dived for the door, but me being held up on account of my missing leg, I was slow an' couldn't help seein' what happened. Butch was fast, but the young feller was faster. He had Butch by the wrist before the gun came clear--just gave a little twist--and there he stood with the gun in his hand pointin' into Butch's face, and Butch sittin' there like a feller in a trance or wakin' up out of a bad dream. "Then he gets up, slow and dignified, though he had enough liquor in him to float a ship. "'I been mobbed,' he says, 'it's easy to see that. I come here peaceful and quiet, and here I been mobbed. But I'm comin' back, boys, and I ain't comin' alone.' "There was our chance to get him, while he was walking out of that place without a gun, but somehow nobody moved for him. He didn't look none too easy, even without his shootin' irons. Out he goes into the night, and we stood around starin' at each other. Everybody was upset, except Sally and Bard. "He says: 'Miss Fortune, this is our dance, I think.' "'Excuse me,' says Sally, 'I almost forgot about it.' "And they started to dance to the piano, waltzin' around among the tables; the rest of us lit out for home because we knew that Butch would be on his way with his gang before we got very far under cover. But hey, Steve, where you goin'?" "I'm going to get in on that dance," called Nash, and was gone at a racing gallop down the street. CHAPTER XVI BLUFF He found no dance in progress, however, but in the otherwise empty eating place, which Sally owned and ran with her two capable hands and the assistance of a cook, sat Sally herself dining at the same table with the tenderfoot, the flirt, the horse-breaker, the tamer of gun-fighters.