“I’ve offered to fight him if he thinks I have wronged him,” saidMcMurdo. “I’ll fight him with fists, or, if that won’t satisfy him,I’ll fight him any other way he chooses. Now, I’ll leave it to you,Councillor, to judge between us as a Bodymaster should.”
“What is it, then?”
“A young lady. She’s free to choose for herself.”
“Is she?” cried Baldwin.
“As between two brothers of the lodge I should say that shewas,” said the Boss.
“Oh, that’s your ruling, is it?”
“Yes, it is, Ted Baldwin,” said McGinty, with a wicked stare. “Isit you that would dispute it?”
“You would throw over one that has stood by you this five yearsin favour of a man that you never saw before in your life? You’renot Bodymaster for life, Jack McGinty, and by God! when next itcomes to a vote—”
The Councillor sprang at him like a tiger. His hand closed roundthe other’s neck, and he hurled him back across one of the barrels.
In his mad fury he would have squeezed the life out of him ifMcMurdo had not interfered.
“Easy, Councillor! For heaven’s sake, go easy!” he cried, as hedragged him back.
McGinty released his hold, and Baldwin, cowed and shakengasping for breath, and shivering in every limb, as one who haslooked over the very edge of death, sat up on the barrel overwhich he had been hurled.
“You’ve been asking for it this many a day, Ted Baldwin—nowyou’ve got it!” cried McGinty, his huge chest rising and falling.
“Maybe you think if I was voted down from Bodymaster youwould find yourself in my shoes. It’s for the lodge to say that. Butso long as I am the chief I’ll have no man lift his voice against meor my rulings.”
“I have nothing against you,” mumbled Baldwin, feeling histhroat.
“Well, then,” cried the other, relapsing in a moment into a bluffjoviality, “we are all good friends again and there’s an end of thematter.”
He took a bottle of champagne down from the shelf and twistedout the cork.
“See now,” he continued, as he filled three high glasses. “Let usdrink the quarrelling toast of the lodge. After that, as you know,there can be no bad blood between us. Now, then the left handon the apple of my throat. I say to you, Ted Baldwin, what is theoffense, sir?”
“The clouds are heavy,” answered Baldwin
“But they will forever brighten.”
“And this I swear!”
The men drank their glasses, and the same ceremony wasperformed between Baldwin and McMurdo
“There!” cried McGinty, rubbing his hands. “That’s the endof the black blood. You come under lodge discipline if it goesfurther, and that’s a heavy hand in these parts, as Brother Baldwinknows—and as you will damn soon find out, Brother McMurdo, ifyou ask for trouble!”
“Faith, I’d be slow to do that,” said McMurdo. He held out his handto Baldwin. “I’m quick to quarrel and quick to forgive. It’s my hotIrish blood, they tell me. But it’s over for me, and I bear no grudge.”
Baldwin had to take the proffered hand; for the baleful eye ofthe terrible Boss was upon him. But his sullen face showed howlittle the words of the other had moved him.
McGinty clapped them both on the shoulders. “Tut! These girls!
These girls!” he cried. “To think that the same petticoats shouldcome between two of my boys! It’s the devil’s own luck! Well, it’sthe colleen inside of them that must settle the question; for it’soutside the jurisdiction of a Bodymaster—and the Lord be praisedfor that! We have enough on us, without the women as well. You’llhave to be affiliated to Lodge 341, Brother McMurdo. We have ourown ways and methods, different from Chicago. Saturday night isour meeting, and if you come then, we’ll make you free forever ofthe Vermissa Valley.”
Lodge 341, Vermissa
On the day following the evening which had contained so manyexciting events, McMurdo moved his lodgings from old JacobShafter’s and took up his quarters at the Widow MacNamara’son the extreme outskirts of the town. Scanlan, his originalacquaintance aboard the train, had occasion shortly afterwards tomove into Vermissa, and the two lodged together. There was noother boarder, and the hostess was an easy-going old Irishwomanwho left them to themselves; so that they had a freedom forspeech and action welcome to men who had secrets in common.
Shafter had relented to the extent of letting McMurdo come tohis meals there when he liked; so that his intercourse with Ettiewas by no means broken. On the contrary, it drew closer and moreintimate as the weeks went by.
In his bedroom at his new abode McMurdo felt it safe to takeout the coining moulds, and under many a pledge of secrecy anumber of brothers from the lodge were allowed to come in andsee them, each carrying away in his pocket some examples of thefalse money, so cunningly struck that there was never the slightestdifficulty or danger in passing it. Why, with such a wonderful artat his command, McMurdo should condescend to work at all wasa perpetual mystery to his companions; though he made it clear toanyone who asked him that if he lived without any visible means itwould very quickly bring the police upon his track.
One policeman was indeed after him already; but the incident,as luck would have it, did the adventurer a great deal more goodthan harm. After the first introduction there were few eveningswhen he did not find his way to McGinty’s saloon, there to makecloser acquaintance with “the boys,” which was the jovial title bywhich the dangerous gang who infested the place were known toone another. His dashing manner and fearlessness of speech madehim a favourite with them all; while the rapid and scientific way inwhich he polished off his antagonist in an “all in” bar-room scrapearned the respect of that rough community. Another incident,however, raised him even higher in their estimation.