Page:Morley roberts--Painted Rock.djvu/58

 Bill, "and the right to get the drop unseen. He's a boy!"

Jeff sometimes came into town, but he came in mostly by night, and no one knew of his being there at all. He used to tie up the old pinto outside the town and come in quietly. He mostly lay about the empty town lots that were at the back of the American House and the Green Front, the chief saloons in Colorado Street. The gambling saloons of both houses were at the back, and the windows looked upon a waste of old boots, old kerosene-cans, and empty tomato-cans. But the blinds were usually drawn. In such a 'City,' even though law and order were gradually and with great difficulty establishing themselves, there were many who had a deeply-rooted objection to standing in a bright light visible to those who were in darkness. There was never any knowing who might be outside.

And very often Jeff was outside. Sometimes he heard the voices of men he knew. Bill Davies was in there at least once a week. He heard Simon Keats, to whose store his