“Don’t!” admonished Grace. “Tom, don’t forget that this may end in a tragedy.”
“That’s what it is going to end in—perhaps more than one tragedy. When Haley and the other fellow wind up you will see more lively work, and—”
“Hippy! Oh, where is my Hippy?” cried Nora.
“Don’t worry. He has gone to join some of the men who are backing Haley,” replied Tom.
Neither Haley nor his opponent ducked after that and to the Overland girls, terrible as it was, it was a wonderful thing to see the two men standing up in the meadow shooting at each other as calmly as though they were firing at targets.
Emma Dean’s face was pale, and her whole body was trembling with excitement.
A little cry from one of the girls greeted a new move on the part of Haley’s antagonist. The fellow suddenly whipped out another revolver, and began shooting with both guns at the same time.
Jim Haley demonstrated that he, too, could do that, and he did, and the bullets flew thick and fast. Then suddenly they saw Haley’s enemy spin half way around.
The man was hit, and Haley held his fire. But the Peanut Man’s adversary came back with two more shots, both of which grazed Haley’s body. Then, like a flash, Jim Haley fired two shots at the same instant. His adversary turned slowly and then pitched sideways to the ground.
Haley himself went down almost as suddenly, the difference being that Haley was not hurt, but he knew what to expect after his adversary had fallen seriously wounded.
The crash of rifles was heard on the opposite side of the meadow, but there was no reply from the Overland side.
“Where are they? Oh, where are Hippy and the people he is with?” cried Nora.
“I think they are on the other side of the meadow among the trees, creeping toward their enemies,” answered Grace Harlowe. “Two parties are shooting over on that side now.”
“Yes,” answered Tom. “You have it right, Grace. The Peanut Man offered himself as a possible sacrifice to enable his companions to work around to the other side of the meadow and attack the enemy on their own ground.”
“But where is Mr. Haley? Are you sure that he wasn’t hit?” begged Emma.
“No. I could see by the way he went down that it was to avoid the volley that he knew would be fired at him,” Tom informed them. “Girls, I am in hopes that this morning’s work may mark the finish of the job that certain men have been sent up here to accomplish.”