Palmer. But I'd be willing to
hang those fellows with my own hands. It wouldn't help Will Cummins any,
but it would give me solid satisfaction."
"Well, Keeler, I'm glad of one thing, Cummins was a bachelor, like me,
and not a married man."
"I've thought about that, but it don't give me any comfort. Will ought
to have married years ago. His life might have counted for something
then; but now it seems as if it had been wasted."
"Maybe you think my life's been wasted, too?"
"No, Mr. Palmer, you know I could never think that, after your kindness
to Will and me."
"Well, Will Cummins was more generous than I ever was," answered Palmer.
"Main trouble with Will was his temper, which was no better than mine.
Every bad man in these mountains knew that Will Cummins was ready to
treat him to his own medicine."
"Yes, I wish he hadn't said so much about defending yourself. I wish he
hadn't carried a pistol that day. He wouldn't have been so ready to
fight, perhaps."
"One thing certain," observed Palmer, "if he was going to carry a pistol
at all, he ought to have had it handy, not under his duster."
"Well, it was natural to think the danger past when they had got safely
away from the South Yuba.
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