The cup rattled against the saucer when she took it. A swallow, then another.

"Matty, it was awful! Awful! That man-he had poor Wat all tied up. He was planning to kill me. He was going to kill Wat first, and then-"

"Don't talk about it, mum. It's done. It's over an' done with." Matty added tea to her cup. "Mum? There's another thing to think about."

"What's that?"

"You did it, mum. You met him face to face, and when you had to defend yourself, you did it. You stood right on your own two feet and looked him right in the eye, and when there was no help for it, you shot him.

"It is not easy for a woman to be alone, mum, but you did what had to be done. Nothing can take that away from you, and believe me, n.o.body is goin' to feel sorry that you shot Scant Luther."

She shuddered. "I think-I'm going to lie down, Matty. I hate to leave you with everything to be done, but I'm afraid I-"

"You just go lie down. Peg an' me, we'll handle it. Won't we, Peg?"

"Yes, we will." She ran for the sideboard. "I'll set the table."

With Matty beside her, she crossed to the house and lay down on the bed. Matty returned to the station, and she lay for a long time, staring up at the ceiling.

She had shot a man.

It was unbelievable. She-Mary Claybourne, Mary Breydon, had actually shot a man with a pistol.

It was long after dark when she awakened. She lay still for a minute, listening. Lights were on in the station, and several horses were tied at the corral.

Lighting a match, she lifted the chimney from the lamp and touched the match to the wick. When it caught, she replaced the chimney and looked at herself in the mirror.

She looked a sight, and there were people at the station. Suddenly, she remembered.

She had not reloaded the empty barrel after the gun was fired. Her father had taught her that, and she had heard Temple Boone mention it, also. She got a cartridge and reloaded the gun, glad the derringer was so easily loaded. Her larger gun was cap and ball and took more time. Some of the older men did not like what they called the "newfangled" guns.

She crossed the street to the station.

Mark Stacy was sitting at the table when she entered. With him was Preston Collier. Both men got to their feet promptly.

Temple Boone was there, also, tall, lean, and quiet; his eyes searched her face.

"Mrs. Breydon!" Stacy said. "We've been told what happened! Please join us. We've been worried about you, very worried."

"Why? It is all over now."

"We just wish it were," Collier said, "but we've had word there's trouble coming, serious trouble."

She smiled suddenly. "We've had trouble here, Mr. Collier, and we've handled it. Whatever is coming, we can handle that, too!"

Chapter 22.

MRS. BREYDON, TEMPLE Boone has a.s.sured us you are not easily frightened, so we are going to place the matter before you.

"This is Monday. On Sat.u.r.day next, there will be a stage leaving Denver carrying at least six men. Four of these men have already paid their fares and are completing their business before starting for Laramie.

"We know, and others know as well, that these men will be carrying rather large sums of money. These men will ride a special stage accompanying the usual run. They are en route to California.

"We also have learned that Denver Cross is aware of this and plans to rob both stages, and if our information is correct, he plans to do it here.

"It seems," Collier added, "that he intends to take care of some unfinished business here at the same time."

"How many men will he have? Denver Cross, I mean?"

"We understand there will be six men involved, and we will be prepared for them."

"I think he will have more than that," Mary Breydon said. "I think he will have twice that many."

Collier smiled, shaking his head. "We know who the men are. We also know that is all he has. We know Mercer will be there, and Williams, of course. Neff is believed to be one of them-"

"He won't be there," Temple Boone said.

They glanced up at him. "He won't be able to make it," Boone said.

"Nevertheless," Collier persisted, "we understand there will be six men." He glanced over at Mary. "I am involved because two of the men traveling west are business a.s.sociates of mine who are also friends. I want nothing to happen to them."

"I want nothing to happen to anyone at my station," Mary said.

"Of course," Collier agreed. "The point is that we expect to have a reception committee awaiting the outlaws, and we would like you and your family to be in Laporte."

"No."

"What?"

"No," Mary said. "This is my station, and it is my responsibility. I will not be away when there is to be trouble."

"We want no harm to come to you, nor your daughter."

"Neither do I, but my place is here. Also, as you must realize, the outlaws would know we were gone and would immediately suspect something was wrong.

"No, gentlemen, our place is here, and this is where we will be. There may be injuries. The pa.s.sengers will certainly wish to be fed. Now unless I am mistaken, the outlaws will have one or more men inside the station before the trouble begins."

"That's good thinking, Mrs. Breydon." Mark Stacy turned to Collier. "Of course, she's right. They will have a couple of riders, men strange to Mrs. Breydon, probably, or at least men who will keep her attention on them, waiting here in the station."

Temple Boone straddled a chair. "Look," he suggested. "How are they going to do it? Come charging in here a-horseback, alerting everybody that something is about to happen?

"I think Mrs. Breydon is right. Suppose they have two men eating in here, innocent as babes. Another man could be getting Ridge Fenton to fix a horseshoe for him or some other little ch.o.r.e.

"They'll know all about Ridge. He always talks peace and is readier for a fight than any man I know. They'll want one or two men there to put him out of action.

"A couple of others might come s.h.a.gging down the pike and ride over to the corral just before the stage comes in. They'd have Ridge out of action, they'd have Mrs. Breydon and Matty Maginnis locked up, and they could open fire on the stage from three directions."

"Open fire?" Collier exclaimed. "This is to be a holdup. Why should they open fire?"

"Mr. Boone is right," Mary said. "We know who some of these men are. They are former guerrillas, and they kill the weak and helpless as well as others. They will want no witnesses left alive to testify against them or to identify them."

"Mrs. Breydon," Collier said, "I am going to insist that you be away from here. You could go to my ranch. You'd be safe there-"

"No, Mr. Collier. A year ago, I might have done just that, but a lot has happened this past year, both before I came here and since. I will be here, where I should be."

Mark Stacy interrupted. "Mrs. Breydon? You can be here if you wish, although the stage company certainly does not expect it of you, but if you are to be here, promise me that you'll all get into Matty's room with the door locked the minute that stage rolls into the yard.

"You see," he said, "that stage will be loaded with deputies, heavily armed, waiting for trouble. That stage is strongly built, and my men will all have shotguns."

"They'll be watching the stage when the pa.s.sengers get aboard in Laporte," Boone said.

Collier smiled. "Of course. But the pa.s.sengers they encounter will be a different group of men. Don't worry, Boone. They'll be surprised. We'll get the lot of them."

Tuesday pa.s.sed quietly, and Wednesday, yet Mary could feel the tension building within her. Had she been foolish? How could she dare risk the lives of Peg and Wat? Or of Matty? Or even to allow the children to see such a thing or be close to it. No matter what took place, men would be killed or injured, and with all that shooting going on, there was no telling who might be killed.

"Matty," she said when they were alone, "I am frightened."

"I know, mum. I feel just the same. 'Tis a power of wickedness there is in the world, and too bad that the likes of you an' me must suffer for it. You could go, mum. I'd stay.

"I'm not suggestin' you're afraid, but it's just that my life has been rougher than yours. I'm used to it now. I'd not want you or Peg to see what will happen."

"No, Matty. This is where I belong. If a man was station agent here, wouldn't he be expected to stay?"

On Thursday, the people on the stage were a friendly lot, laughing and gay. They were part of a traveling show that was to perform in Denver.

"You've the best food on the line, miss," the show's manager said. "I wish we could stay over."

"We've been told there will be sleeping quarters here next year," she said.

"Good! I'll vote for it if you're still here to do the cooking." He glanced at Matty. "Or is it you?"

" 'Tis the both of us," Matty said. "If we should come into Denver, could we see the show?"

"I'll seat you myself!" he said gallantly.

Temple Boone stopped by late on Friday. He took a cup and filled it, then said, "We can't persuade you?"

"No," she said.

Wat had been dunking a doughnut. He looked up and started to speak, but Matty interrupted.

"You said that Jordy Neff would not be one of them. How could you know such a thing?"

Boone sipped his coffee. "Jordy ain't the brightest one around, but he's cunning, like an animal. He's not going to get into any situation somebody else sets up. He'll be in Laporte in plain sight. You mark my words. He's like a coyote, wary of traps."

"It ain't gonna work nohow," Wat said. "That Mr. Collier, he doesn't know that bunch."

Mary was suddenly all attention, and so was Boone. There was something in the way he spoke- "Why do you say that, Wat?" she asked.

"Why, those fellers! They been doin' this for years! D'you suppose they ain't seen Collier talkin' to Stacy? An' to those others? Sure, they know something's gone haywire. They got men in that lot that can smell trouble as far as Jordy Neff.

"Don't you suppose they've got it all figured out? And six men? That ain't the way Denver Cross works, nor his boss, either. There'll be twenty men, maybe more."

"Twenty? But Mr. Collier said there would be but six-"

"Where d'you suppose he heard that? Who d'you suppose tipped them off in the first place?"

"Wat? What do you know about this?" Mary asked.

"When you all were talkin' the other night, I listened," he said. "I know I wasn't s'posed to, but I done it.

"When Mr. Collier rode up here with Mark Stacy, I knowed somethin' was in the wind. I just set there wonderin' how growed-up men could be so foolish. They got a tip. I can just bet who supplied that tip! I also could make a good bet where they got the idea he'd only six men. I know there's at least twenty, maybe more."

"How could you know that?" Mary asked.

"You all kep' askin' where I come from. I lived over yonder near Bonnar Springs. Them outlaws was usin' my pa's ranch for a hideout. I seen all those men layin' about up there, gamblin', killin' time, waitin' until somebody decides it's a proper time to use them.

"Some of them moved in a good while back. Then a lot come in a bunch just about the time that Flandrau killed your man.

"Those fellers know what they are doin'. They been through all this many a time. I've heard 'em talk. Just about everything's been tried on 'em before this, so they know what to expect.

"They are b.l.o.o.d.y, ma'am. They don't care how many they kill. Look what happened back to Lawrenceville.

"I like ol' Wilbur, an' he'll be a settin' up there in plain sight, one of the first to get shot. They'll kill 'em all, and your Mr. Collier along with it."

"Wat, how can you be sure?"

He glanced around at her. "Ma'am, I heard 'em talk. They paid me no mind. I was just a no-account youngster hangin' around. It wasn't until after I left there that some of them began to worry for fear I heard too much."

"What will they do, Wat?"

"I been studyin' about that, ma'am, but I surely don't know. Only I know they'll do what is least expected. Like killin' Mr. Collier. He doesn't expect that, an' neither do you, but I'll bet they been studyin' how they can do that an' let it be accidental-like. Sort of an innocent bystander."

"Why should they want to kill him?"

"If Flandrau still calculates on running for office," Boone said, "Collier would oppose him, and Collier has a lot of power."

"But what will they do? If Wat is right-"