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Updated: May 17, 2025
"Well, to make a long story short, she said she'd do it, though I could see she was still thinkin' me mistaken about Tex doin' anythin' out of the way. He's a rotten skunk, but you'd better believe he don't let her see it. He's got her so she believes every darn word he says is gospel." He finished in an angry key. Stratton's face was thoughtful. "How long has he been here?" he asked. "Who? Tex?
But Stratton's mind was too full of the amazing information he had gleaned from the old storekeeper to leave much room for minor reflections. He had been stunned at first so completely floored that anyone save the garrulous old man intent on making the most of his shop-worn story could not have helped seeing that something was seriously wrong.
He is wide and square-shouldered though short, has a round stubborn head of reddish hair with a promising bald spot, close-set blue eyes and an annoying, almost an insulting habit of paying all his bills promptly and asking odds and favors of nobody. To-day he was to have taken a load of stones, granite niggerheads of all sizes, up to Colonel Stratton's place.
Ignorant of Stratton's identity and of all the circumstances of her father's treachery and double-dealing, she must hold that view herself. The thought disturbed Buck, and he wondered uncomfortably what her feelings would be when she learned the truth. "What's the matter?" inquired Bud suddenly. "What yuh scowlin' that way for?" "Nothing special," evaded Buck. "I was just thinking."
Two of them were tall and well set up; the third was short and stocky and held a branding iron in one hand. Meeting Stratton's gaze, he laughed loudly. "By cripes, Bud! Yuh shore are easy. I thought yuh had more guts than to be scared of an iron that's hardly had the chill took off." He guffawed again, the other two joining in.
This appeal to the pocket touched Stratton's feelings; so, submitting to the extortion, he replied to our interpreter, "Well, tell the old robber to dump his dung-cart as soon as possible, or we shall lose half an hour in starting." The cart was "dumped" and a large, lazy-looking Flemish horse was attached to it with a rope harness.
Yuh could have knocked me down with a wisp uh bunch-grass when one uh the boys come in one night with a Phoenix paper, an' showed me Stratton's name on a list uh killed or missin'!" "When was that?" asked Buck briefly, seeing that Daggett evidently expected some comment. If only the man would get on! "'Round the middle of September.
He led the way into the store and walked down to where Daggett was slowly sorting a small pile of letters and post-cards. "Hello, Pop!" he greeted. "Looks like I was just in time." The old man peered over the tops of his spectacles. "Yuh be, if yuh want to catch the up-mail," he nodded. "Where's it to?" He took the letter from Stratton's extended hand and studied it with frank interest.
I pulled out considerable to ride around a spur just beyond, so when that shot came I was facin' pretty near due east. The bullet hit me in the left leg, yuh recollect." Stratton's eyes narrowed. "Then it must have been fired from the north from the direction of the " He broke off abruptly as Rick's fingers gripped his wrist. "Look!" breathed Bemis, in a voice that was scarcely audible.
The process of that investigation having disclosed evidences of rascality of which the rustling was but a minor feature, Stratton's desire to probe the mystery to the bottom seemed perfectly natural, and the need for secrecy was also accounted for. The only risk Buck ran was of Tenny's mentioning the matter to Hardenberg himself, and that seemed slight enough.
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