showed it. "She's sweet on him."
Betty Gavin was riding a black mare and she cantered up, smiling. "Hello, Johnny!
Hello, Dan! Gee, I'm glad I found you!
I thought I was lost."
"How'd you happen to get here?" Lasker inquired.
He was puzzled. She seemed entirely unaware that anything was wrong. But being an eastern girl, how could she know? On the other hand, how could an eastern girl have got here?
"Uncle Bart was at the old place on Pocketpoint, so I decided I'd ride over and surprise Johnny. I lost my way, and then I saw some horse tracks, so I followed them. When I got in that canyon I was scared, but there was no way to get out, so I kept coming."
She looked around. "So this is what Eagle's Nest is like?"
Johnny Garrett was appalled. Calkins was frowning. Hoyt was frankly puzzled, as was Lasker. Yet Lasker looked relieved. He was not a murderer nor a man who would harm a woman, and this offered a way out. If Betty did not know the difference--
She came right up to Johnny, smiling. "My, but you're a mess!" she said. "Straighten your handkerchief." She reached up and pulled it around and he felt something sharp against the skin of his neck under the collar. It was a fold of paper. "Are you going to take me back to Pocketpoint?"
"Can't," he said. "But maybe Dan will. I'm busy here."
He scratched his neck, palmed the paper, and when an opportunity offered, he got a glimpse of it. The paper was the brown wrapping paper upon which he had worked out his first map of the streams and the probable route into this valley, with his notes.
She had lied then. She had come from Eagle's Nest following his own map, and she knew exactly where she was! He looked at her in astonishment. How could she be so cool? So utterly innocent?
He began to roll a smoke, thinking this out. Lasker might take her out of here. He could be trusted with a woman, and the others could not. Out of the corners of his eyes, he measured the distance to the saddlebag. No good. They'd kill him before he got it open. Unless ... He hesitated. Unless he was very careful about it--
Lasker, Calkins, and Hoyt had moved off to one side and were talking. Betty glanced at Johnny.
"I was afraid I wouldn't find you," she said, low-voiced.
Freck could hear them, but there were two meanings here.
"Won't Bart be worried?"
"Yes, he probably will. I"-she looked right at him-"left a note at the cabin." A note at the line cabin! Then there was a chance!
Suddenly, Freck was speaking. "Hoyt," he said, "we better look at our hole card. That gal's got red mud on her boot. Ain't no place got red mud but around the cabin at Eagle's Nest."
Johnny felt his mouth go dry. He saw Betty's face change color, and he said quietly, "You don't know what you're sayin', Freck. There's red mud behind the cabin at Pocketpoint."
Hoyt looked at Calkins. "Is there? You been there?"
"I been there. Dogged if I can recall!"
Hoyt's eyes were suddenly hard. He turned a little so his lank body was toward Lasker. Almost instinctively, Calkins drew back, but Freck's loyalty to Hoyt was obvious.
"Got a present for you, Betty." Johnny spoke into the sudden silence. His voice seemed unusually loud. "Aimed to bring it down first chance I got. One of those agates I was tellin' you about."
He walked to his saddlebag, and behind him he heard Hoyt say, "We can't let that girl leave here, Dan."
"Don't be a fool!" Lasker's anger was plain.
"You can steal cattle and get away with it. Harm a girl like this and the West isn't big enough to hide us!"
"I'll gamble. But if she goes out, we're finished. Our work done for nothin'."
"Keep her," Freck said. "She'd be company."
He winked at Lasker.
All eyes were watching Hoyt. It was there the trouble would start. Johnny ran his hand down into the saddlebag and came up with the .44 Colt. He turned, the gun concealed by his body.
"She goes," Lasker said, "cattle or no cattle."
"Over my dead body!" Hoyt snapped, and his hand dropped for his gun.
Freck
Betty Gavin was riding a black mare and she cantered up, smiling. "Hello, Johnny!
Hello, Dan! Gee, I'm glad I found you!
I thought I was lost."
"How'd you happen to get here?" Lasker inquired.
He was puzzled. She seemed entirely unaware that anything was wrong. But being an eastern girl, how could she know? On the other hand, how could an eastern girl have got here?
"Uncle Bart was at the old place on Pocketpoint, so I decided I'd ride over and surprise Johnny. I lost my way, and then I saw some horse tracks, so I followed them. When I got in that canyon I was scared, but there was no way to get out, so I kept coming."
She looked around. "So this is what Eagle's Nest is like?"
Johnny Garrett was appalled. Calkins was frowning. Hoyt was frankly puzzled, as was Lasker. Yet Lasker looked relieved. He was not a murderer nor a man who would harm a woman, and this offered a way out. If Betty did not know the difference--
She came right up to Johnny, smiling. "My, but you're a mess!" she said. "Straighten your handkerchief." She reached up and pulled it around and he felt something sharp against the skin of his neck under the collar. It was a fold of paper. "Are you going to take me back to Pocketpoint?"
"Can't," he said. "But maybe Dan will. I'm busy here."
He scratched his neck, palmed the paper, and when an opportunity offered, he got a glimpse of it. The paper was the brown wrapping paper upon which he had worked out his first map of the streams and the probable route into this valley, with his notes.
She had lied then. She had come from Eagle's Nest following his own map, and she knew exactly where she was! He looked at her in astonishment. How could she be so cool? So utterly innocent?
He began to roll a smoke, thinking this out. Lasker might take her out of here. He could be trusted with a woman, and the others could not. Out of the corners of his eyes, he measured the distance to the saddlebag. No good. They'd kill him before he got it open. Unless ... He hesitated. Unless he was very careful about it--
Lasker, Calkins, and Hoyt had moved off to one side and were talking. Betty glanced at Johnny.
"I was afraid I wouldn't find you," she said, low-voiced.
Freck could hear them, but there were two meanings here.
"Won't Bart be worried?"
"Yes, he probably will. I"-she looked right at him-"left a note at the cabin." A note at the line cabin! Then there was a chance!
Suddenly, Freck was speaking. "Hoyt," he said, "we better look at our hole card. That gal's got red mud on her boot. Ain't no place got red mud but around the cabin at Eagle's Nest."
Johnny felt his mouth go dry. He saw Betty's face change color, and he said quietly, "You don't know what you're sayin', Freck. There's red mud behind the cabin at Pocketpoint."
Hoyt looked at Calkins. "Is there? You been there?"
"I been there. Dogged if I can recall!"
Hoyt's eyes were suddenly hard. He turned a little so his lank body was toward Lasker. Almost instinctively, Calkins drew back, but Freck's loyalty to Hoyt was obvious.
"Got a present for you, Betty." Johnny spoke into the sudden silence. His voice seemed unusually loud. "Aimed to bring it down first chance I got. One of those agates I was tellin' you about."
He walked to his saddlebag, and behind him he heard Hoyt say, "We can't let that girl leave here, Dan."
"Don't be a fool!" Lasker's anger was plain.
"You can steal cattle and get away with it. Harm a girl like this and the West isn't big enough to hide us!"
"I'll gamble. But if she goes out, we're finished. Our work done for nothin'."
"Keep her," Freck said. "She'd be company."
He winked at Lasker.
All eyes were watching Hoyt. It was there the trouble would start. Johnny ran his hand down into the saddlebag and came up with the .44 Colt. He turned, the gun concealed by his body.
"She goes," Lasker said, "cattle or no cattle."
"Over my dead body!" Hoyt snapped, and his hand dropped for his gun.
Freck
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