It wuz
a child in the grasp of a giant. Neale shure looked beautiful, I
niver wished so much in me loife fer Casey as thin. He would hev
enjoyed thot foight, fer he bragged of his friendship fer Neale.
An'--"
"Go on, man, end your story!" ordered the general, breathlessly.
"Wal, b'gorra, there wuz more crackin' of bones, an' sich screams as
I niver heerd from a mon. Tumble, blood-curdlin'! ... Neale held
both Durade's hands an' wuz squeezin' thot knife-handle so the
greaser couldn't let go.
"Thin Neale drew out thot hand of Durade's--the wan wot held the
knife--an' made Durade jab himself, low down! ... My Gawd! how thot
jenteel Spaniard howled! I seen the blade go in an' come out red.
Thin Slingerland tore thim apart, an' the greaser fell. He warn't
killed. Mebbe he ain't goin' to croak. But he'll shure hev to l'ave
Roarin' City, an he'll shure be a cripple fer loife."
McDermott looked at the empty glass.
"That's all, Gineral. An' if it's jist the same to yez I'll hev
another drink."
32
The mere sight of Warren Neale had transformed life for Allie Lee.
The shame of being forced to meet degraded men, the pain from
Durade's blows, the dread that every hour he would do the worst by
her or kill her, the sudden and amazing recognition between her and
her father--these became dwarfed and blurred in the presence of the
glorious truth that Neale was there.
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