PAINTED ROCK
hindering him. There was only one thing to do, and I did it. I had not the least desire to get myself into a difficulty, and if he saw me run ahead of him he was in the mood to kill me first and Weekes afterwards. Nevertheless I meant getting to the store before he did. There was only one way to do it. I ran into the American Saloon, calling to Gedge. It is never advisable to run into any gambling saloon in a hurry and without warning. The place was tolerably full, and Gedge was dealing faro.
"Hallo!" said Keno, "what's the trouble?"
"Tell Gillett to come to Weekes' place now," I cried, and with that I pulled aside the window-blind at the end of the room and jumped through the open window, and left the crowd buzzing.
Habersham had to walk two hundred yards down Main Street before he got to South Street. By going through the window I had one side of a triangle to his two, and though the open space was dark, and littered with empty kerosene- and fruit-cans, I made good time across the big barren lot. I felt
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