This invitation to shake hands seemed an empty formality. De Spain never shook hands with anybody; at least if he did so, he extended, through habit long inured, his left hand, with an excuse for the soreness of his right. Pedro did not even bat his remaining eye at the invitation. The situation, as Lefever facetiously remarked, remained about where it was before he spoke, and nothing daunted, he asked de Spain what he would drink. De Spain sidestepped again by asking for a cigar. Lefever, professing he would not drink alone, called for cigarettes. While Pedro produced them, from nowhere apparently, as a conjurer picks cards out of the air, the sound of galloping horses came through the open door. A moment later three men walked, single file, into the room. De Spain stood at the left end of the bar, and Lefever introduced him to Gale Morgan, to David Sassoon, and to Sassoons crony, Deaf Sandusky, as the new stage-line manager. The later arrivals lined up before the bar, Sandusky next to Lefever and de Spain, so he could hear what was said. Pedro from his den produced two queer-looking bottles and a supply of glasses.
De Spain, Gale Morgan began bluntly, one of our men was put off a stage of yours last week by Frank Elpaso. He spoke without any preliminary compliments, and his heavy voice was bellicose.
De Spain, regarding him undisturbed, answered after a little pause: Elpaso told me he put a man off his stage last week for fighting.
No, contradicted Morgan loudly, not for fighting. Elpaso was drunk.
Whats the name of the man Elpaso put off, John?
asked de Spain, looking at Lefever.
Morgan hooked his thumb toward the man standing at his side. Heres the man right here, Dave Sassoon.
Sassoon never looked a man in the face when the man looked at him, except by implication; it was almost impossible, without surprising him, to catch his eyes with your eyes. He seemed now to regard de Spain keenly, as the latter, still attending to Morgans statement, replied: Elpaso tells a pretty straight story.
Elpaso couldnt tell a straight story if he tried, interjected Sassoon.
I have the statement of three other passengers; they confirm Elpaso. According to them, Sassoon de Spain looked straight at the accused, was drunk and abusive, and kept trying to put some of the other passengers off. Finally he put his feet in the lap of Pumperwasser, our tank and windmill man, and Pumperwasser hit him.
Morgan, stepping back from the bar, waved his hand with an air of finality toward his inoffensive companion: Here is Sassoon, right herehe can tell the whole story.
Those fellows were miners, muttered Sassoon. His utterance was broken, but he spoke fast. Theyll side with the guards every time against a cattleman.
Theres only one fair thing to do, de Spain, declared Morgan. He looked severely at de Spain: Discharge Elpaso.
De Spain, his hands resting on the bar, drew one foot slowly back. Not on the showing I have now, he said. One of the passengers who joined in the statement is Jeffries, the railroad superintendent at Sleepy Cat.
Expect a railroad superintendent to tell the truth about a Calabasas man? demanded Sassoon.
I should expect him at least to be sober, retorted de Spain.
Sassoon, interposed Morgan belligerently, is a man whose word can always be depended on.
To convey his meaning, intervened Lefever cryptically. Of course, I know, he asserted, earnest to the point of vehemence. Every one in Calabasas has the highest respect for Sassoon. That is understood. And, he added with as much impressiveness as if he were talking sense, everybody in Calabasas would be sorry to see Sassoon put off a stage. But Sassoon is off: that is the situation. We are sorry. If it occurs again
What do you mean? thundered Morgan, resenting the interference. De Spain is the manager, isnt he? What we want to know is, what you are going to do about it? he demanded, addressing de Spain again.
There is nothing more to be done, returned de Spain composedly. Ive already told Elpaso if Sassoon starts another fight on a stage to put him off again.
Morgans fist came down on the bar. Look here, de Spain! You come from Medicine Bend, dont you? Well, you cant bully Music Mountain menunderstand that.
Any time you have a real grievance, Morgan, Ill be glad to consider it, said de Spain. When one of your men is drunk and quarrelsome he will be put off like any other disturber. That we cant avoid. Public stages cant be run any other way.
All right, retorted Morgan. If you take that tack for your new management, well see how you get along running stages down in this country.
We will run them peaceably, just as long as we can, smiled de Spain. We will get on with everybody that gives us a chance.
Morgan pointed a finger at him. I give you a chance, de Spain, right now. Will you discharge Elpaso?
No.
Morgan almost caught his breath at the refusal. But de Spain could be extremely blunt, and in the parting shots between the two he gave no ground.
Jeffries put me here to stop this kind of rowdyism on the stages, he said to Lefever on their way back to the barn. This is a good time to begin. And Sassoon and Gale Morgan are good men to begin with, he added.