Spider vs. Spider

Living in Texas, in an older building, I have some unexpected house guests from time to time. My first week here a roach tumbled out of my bathrobe and there have been a few ants on my windowsill. Most recently, 2 spiders were in a standoff on my wall.

I had seen one of them, a jumping spider, the day before in my kitchen. I usually kill and flush my unexpected visitors, but spiders eat pesky flies, so I let him live. The second time he appeared he was on the dining room wall, and he wasn't alone. About an inch apart were the jumping spider and a more conventional looking brown spider.

The brown spider was bigger, and I wasn't taking the chance that it was a brown recluse, so again, I left them alone. I kept looking over every few minutes, but there were no new developments. Neither spider moved.

I came back home after being gone a few hours and the 2 brown spots had become one, but I couldn't tell who was winning. Later, the spot had moved to the ceiling, presumably migrating back to the victor's lair for a celebratory meal.

It was never completely clear who won, or that this was a hostile standoff at all, as the spiders never moved even a millimeter while I was watching.

The next morning they were gone from sight, and I haven't seen either since. But my money's on the jumping spider.