“I do not care to eat at a home where I am called a grafter and looked on with suspicion,” Scott answered with dignity. He had sized his man up and felt pretty certain that he would get the worst of a fight but he was an experienced boxer and was not at all dismayed by the prospect.
Wren, who had been advancing toward Jed with mighty strides, stopped suddenly at this retort and looked at Scott silently for almost a minute. When he spoke his voice was gentle again but it was not the gentleness of intense anger this time. “Well, young man, this is the first time I ever had a man ignore my invitation to dinner and didn’t try to kill him, but this time I reckon you’re right. I reckon I would not eat with a man myself who talked that way to me, but if you had had the experiences that I have in the last five years you wouldn’t hold it against me. I thought you were passing us up because we were not good enough for you. Some Easterners think that way. If I hadn’t believed you honest, I wouldn’t have asked you to dinner. If you’ll come in we’ll be glad to have you.”
It was the longest speech that Wren had ever been known to make and his friends looked at him in admiration. Scott was only too glad to accept the apology and get out of his trouble so easily. He dismounted and extended his hand. “If that is the way you feel, Mr. Wren, I shall be delighted to come in,” he said heartily.
Mrs. Wren, a large motherly woman, met them at the door. She was not at all dismayed by the unexpected dinner party and greeted them cordially. Visitors here were few and always welcome. “Mother,” bawled Mr. Wren, once more restored to his boisterous self, “Here is an honest patrolman.”
Such was Scott’s introduction. It troubled him to hear the service spoken of in that way, but he knew that they did not mean it for an insult to him and tried to overlook it. The inside of the ’dobe house was as neat and clean as a pin and the ham and eggs were of the best. All in all they had a jolly time and Scott was certainly glad that he got in on it. He learned to know these people in that brief time as he could never have learned to know them in any other way.
After dinner the little cavalcade rode on to Brown’s, to Mathey’s and finally to Bronson’s. The result everywhere was the same. Distrust, incredulity, acceptance and cordiality.