"I was saying," proceeded the sheriff, "that they scared their babies in these here parts with the name of Jack¹ Hollis. Which they sure done. Well, sir, he was bad."  
"Not all bad, surely," put in Vance. "I've heard a good many stories about the generosity² of—"
 
He was anxious to put in the name of Black Jack, since the sheriff was sticking so close to "Jack Hollis," which was a name that Terry had not yet heard for his dead father. But before he could get out the name, the sheriff, angry at the interruption, resumed the smooth current of his tale with a side flash at Vance.
 
"Not all bad, you say? Generous? Sure he was generous. Them that live outside the law has got to be generous to keep a gang around 'em. Not that Hollis ever played with a gang much, but he had hangers-on all over the mountains and gents that he had done good turns for and hadn't gone off and talked about it. But that was just common sense. He knew he'd need friends that he could trust if he ever got in trouble. If he was wounded, they had to be someplace where he could rest up. Ain't that so? Well, sir, that's what the goodness of Jack Hollis amounted to. No, sir, he was bad. Plumb³ bad and all bad!
 
"But he had them qualities that a young gent with an imagination is apt to cotton to. He was free with his money. He dressed like a dandy. He'd gamble with hundreds, and then give back half of his winnings if he'd broke the gent that run the bank. Them was the sort of things that Jack Hollis would do. And I had my head full of him. Well, about the time that he come to the neighborhood, I sneaked⁴ out of the house one night and went off to a dance with a girl that I was sweet on. And when I come back, I found Dad waiting up for me ready to skin me alive. He tried to give me a clubbing. I kicked the stick out of his hands and swore that I'd leave and never come back. Which I never done, living up to my word proper.
 
"But when I found myself outside in the night, I says to myself: 'Where shall I go now?'
 
"And then, being sort of sick at the world, and hating Dad particular, I decided⁵ to go out and join Jack Hollis. I was going to go bad. Mostly to cut up Dad, I reckon, and not because I wanted to particular.
 
"It wasn't hard to find Jack Hollis. Not for a kid my age that was sure not to be no officer of the law. Besides, they didn't go out single and hunt for Hollis. They went in gangs of a half a dozen at a time, or more if they could get 'em. And even then they mostly got cleaned up when they cornered Hollis. Yes, sir, he made life sad for the sheriffs in them parts that he favored most.
 
"I found Jack toasting bacon over a fire. He had two gents with him, and they brung me in, finding me sneaking⁶ around like a fool kid instead of walking right into camp. Jack sized me up a minute. He was a fine-looking boy, was Hollis. He gimme a look out of them fine black eyes of his which I won't never forget. Aye, a handsome scoundrel, that Hollis!"
 
Elizabeth Cornish sank back in her chair and covered her eyes with her hands for a moment. To the others it seemed that she was merely rubbing weary eyes. But her brother knew perfectly⁷ that she was near to fainting.
 
He looked at Terry and saw that the boy was following the tale with sparkling eyes.
 
"I like what you say about this Hollis, sheriff," he ventured softly.
 
"Do you? Well, so did I like what I seen of him that night, for all I knew that he was a no-good, man-killing, heartless sort. I told him right off that I wanted to join him. I even up and give him an exhibition of shooting.
 
"What do you think he says to me? 'You go home to your ma, young man!'
 
"That's what he said.
 
"'I ain't a baby,' says I to Jack Hollis. 'I'm a grown man. I'm ready to fight your way.'
 
"'Any fool can fight,' says Jack Hollis. 'But a gent with any sense don't have to fight. You can lay to that, son!'
 
"'Don't call me son,' says I. 'I'm older than you was when you started out.'
 
"I'd had my heart busted⁸ before I started,' says Jack Hollis to me. 'Are you as old as that, son? You go back home and don't bother me no more. I'll come back in five years and see if you're still in the same mind!'
 
"And that was what I seen of Jack Hollis.
 
"I went back into town—Garrison City. I slept over the stables the rest of that night. The next day I loafed around town not hardly noways knowing what I was going to do.
 
"Then I was loafing around with my rifle, like I was going out on a hunting trip that afternoon. And pretty soon I heard a lot of noise coming down the street, guns and what not. I look out the window and there comes Jack Hollis, hellbent! Jack Hollis! And then it pops into my head that they was a big price, for them days, on Jack's head. I picked up my gun and eased it over the sill of the window and got a good bead⁹.
 
"Jack turned in his saddle—"
 
There was a faint groan¹⁰ from Elizabeth Cornish. All eyes focused on her in amazement^{11<............}