Then he turned and walked
back to the side of the marshal, smiling a little. His friends, and
there were many in the crowd, torn from their affected nonchalance by
shooting the like of which they had not attributed even to him, roared
and shouted and danced in a frenzy of delight.
Red also threw his guns to Hopalong, who caught them in the air and turning,
faced Tex, who stood white of face and completely lost in the forgetfulness of
admiration and amazement. The guns jerked again and a button flew from
the buckskin shirt of his enemy; another tore a flower from his breast
and another drove it into the ground at his feet as others stirred his
hair and cut the buckle off his pretty sombrero. Tex, dazed, but wise
enough to stand quiet, felt his belt tear loose and drop to his feet,
felt a spur rip from its strap and saw his cigarette leap from his
lips. Throwing the guns to Red, Hopalong laughed and abruptly turned
and was lost in the crowd.
For several seconds there was silence, but when the dazed minds
realized what their eyes had seen, there arose a roar which shook the
houses in the town. Roar after roar thundered forth and was sent
crashing back again by the distant walls, sweeping down on the
discomfited dude and causing him to slink into the crowd to find a
place less conspicuous. He was white yet and keen fear gripped his
heart as he realized that he had come to the carnival with the
expressed purpose of killing his enemy in fair combat.
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