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"It must have been Doubler. I heard it myself. I've just left Doubler, and he was cleaning his rifle. He must have been trying it. I do that myself, often, after I've cleaned mine, just to make sure it's right." He narrowed his eyes whimsically at her. "So you're riding the fiver trail again?" he said. "I thought you'd be doing it." "Why?" she questioned, defiantly.
In his conversation with Langford that night the Double R owner made no reference to Doubler, and, studying Sheila, Duncan thought she seemed depressed. During her ride that day with her father Sheila had received a startling revelation of his character. She had questioned him regarding his treatment of Doubler, ending with a plea for justice for the latter.
And she had felt a growing sympathy for him and had been prepared to meet him half way in an effort to settle their differences, but she saw that the opportunity was gone was hidden under the cloak of mystery which had been about him from the beginning of their acquaintance. "This Doubler business," he answered, and she nibbled impatiently at her lips, knowing that he had meant something else.
Ben Doubler had omitted an important detail from his story of Langford's visit to his cabin, for he had not cared to frighten Sheila unnecessarily.
The doctor was there; he was bending over Doubler at the instant Sheila entered the cabin, and he looked up at her with grave, questioning eyes. "I am going to nurse him," she informed the doctor. "That's good," he returned softly; "he needs lots of care the care that a woman can give him."
It seemed that she had scarcely dropped off to sleep though in reality she had been unconscious for more than two hours when she awoke suddenly, to see Doubler sitting erect in the bunk, watching her with a wan, sympathetic smile. There was the light of reason in his eyes and her heart gave an ecstatic leap. "Could you give me a drink of water, ma'am?" he said, in the voice that she knew well.
"No," agreed Doubler, staring blankly into the distance where he had last seen his supposed friend, "a man don't generally do a heap of advertisin' when he's out lookin' for a man." He sat for a time staring straight ahead, and then he suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with a savage fierceness.
"You're a hell of a sheriff wanting to take a man when you don't know whether he's done anything." "I reckon you ain't fooling me none," said Allen slowly. "The evidence is dead against you." "What evidence?" "Duncan saw you fixing Doubler, and Langford's daughter met you coming from his cabin." "Who told you that?" "Langford. He's just brought some grub over."
Then she left the corral gate and stole softly around a corner of the cabin, determined to steal upon Doubler unawares. Once at the corner, she halted and peered around. She saw Doubler lying in the open doorway, his body twisted into a peculiarly odd position, face down, his arms outstretched, his legs doubled under him.
From the day on which he had become impatient with her when she had questioned him concerning his intentions with regard to Doubler he had treated her in much the manner that he always treated her, though it had seemed to her that there was something lacking; there was a certain strained civility in his manner, a veneer which smoothed over the breach of trust which his attitude that day had created.
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