I dare say--and they always mix things up; but they are most dangerous when they're like Claudine, because then they live among men of action like Cory and Fear.Cory was artful: he spent the day about town telling people that he had always liked Happy; that his ill feeling of yesterday was all gone; he wanted to find him and shake his hand, bury past troubles and be friends.I think he told Claudine the same thing when they met, and convinced the tiny brainlet of his sincerity.Cory was a man who `had a way with him,' and I can see Claudine flattered at the idea of being peace-maker between `two such nice gen'lemen as Mr.
Cory and Mr.Fear.' Her commonest asseveration--quite genuine, too--is that she doesn't like to have the gen'lemen making trouble about her! So the poor imbecile led him to where her husband was waiting.All that Happy knew of this was in her cry afterwards.He was sitting alone, when Cory threw open the door and said, `I've got you this time, Happy!' His pistol was raised but never fired.He waited too long, meaning to establish his case of `self-defence,' and Fear is the quickest man I know.Cory fell just inside the door.Claudine stumbled upon him as she came running after him, crying out to her husband that she `never meant no trouble,' that Cory had sworn to her that he only wanted to shake hands and `make up.'
Other people heard the shot and broke into the room, but they did not try to stop Fear; he warned them off and walked out without hindrance, and came to me.I've got to clear him."Ariel knew what he meant: she realized the actual thing as it was, and, though possessed by a strange feeling that it must all be medieval and not possibly of to-day, understood that he would have to fight to keep his friend from being killed;that the unhappy creature who had run into the office out of the dark stood in high danger of having his neck broken, unless Joe could help him.