CHAPTER XXVII
AN HOUR TOO LATE
"I had an idea that's who it was when you described him," said SheriffHardenberg, to whom Stratton returned at once with the news. "There's onlyone 'Paul' around here who fits the bill, and he sure does toperfection."
"Who is he?" asked Buck curiously.
Hardenberg's eyes narrowed. "The slickest piece of goods in the State ofArizona, I'd say. He's been mixed up in more crooked deals than any man Iever ran up against; but he's so gol-darn cute nobody's ever been able tocatch him with the goods."
"He sure don't look it," commented Stratton. "With that baby stare of hisand--"
"I know," interrupted the sheriff. "That's part of his stock in trade;it's pulled many a sucker. He's got a mighty convincing way about him,believe me! He can tell the damnedest bunch of lies, looking you straightin the eyes all the time, till you'd swear everything he said was gospel.But his big specialty is egging somebody else on to do the dirty work, andwhen the dangerous part is over, he steps in and hogs most of theprofits. He's organized fake mining companies and stock companies. Lastyear he got up a big cattle-raising combine, persuaded three or four menover in the next county to pool their outfits, and issued stock for aboutthree times what it was worth. It busted up, of course, but not beforehe'd sold a big block to some Eastern suckers and got away with theproceeds."
"I'd think that would have been enough to land him."
"You would, wouldn't you?" returned Hardenberg with a shrug. "But thelaw's a tricky business sometimes, and he managed to shave the line justclose enough to be safe. Well, it looks as if we had a chance of bagginghim at last," he added in a tone of heartfelt satisfaction.
"Going to arrest him before we start for the Shoe-Bar?" asked Buck.
Hardenberg laughed shortly. "Hell, no! You don't know Paul Draper if youthink he could be convicted on your statement, unsupported by witnesses.Believe me, by this time he's doped out an iron-clad alibi, or something,and we wouldn't have a chance. But if one of the Shoe-Bar gang should turnState's evidence, that's another matter."
"Aren't you afraid he may beat it if you let him go that long?"
"I'll see to that. One of my men will start for Amarillo right away andkeep him in sight till we come back. By the way, we've got Jose Maria, andthat guy you fired through the window. Caught the old fox sneaking back ofthose shacks along the north road."
"Going to warn Lynch, I reckon," suggested Buck crisply.
"That's what I thought, so I strung some men along at likely points topick up any more that may try the same trick. I haven't got anything outof Jose yet, but a little thumbscrewing may produce results. I'll tell youabout it to-night."
It was late when he finally appeared at the hotel lobby, and he had novery favorable news to impart. Jose Maria, it appeared, had stuck to thestory of being engaged by an alleged Federal official to apprehend twooutlaws, whose descriptions fitted Buck and his companion perfectly. Headmitted having engaged the other Mexicans to help him, but swore that hehad never intended any harm to the two men. Their instructions were merelyto capture and hold them until the arrival of the supposed official.
"All rot, of course," Hardenberg stated in conclusion. "But it hangstogether a bit too well for any greaser to have thought out by himself. Ireckon that cow-man who got you into the joint was responsible for theyarn and told Jose to give it out in case things should go wrong. Well, Iwon't waste any more time on the bunch. You two be around about sevento-morrow. I'd like to start sooner, but some of the boys have to come infrom a distance."
Buck and Jessup were there ahead of time, but it was more than an hourlater when the posse left Perilla. There were about twenty men in all, forHardenberg planned to send a portion of them across country to guard theoutlet of that secret trail through the mountains of which Buck had toldhim. If Lynch and his men had any warning of their coming, or happened tobe out on the range, the chances were all in favor of their making for themountains and trying to escape by the cattle rustlers' route.
During the ride the thought of Mary Thorne was often in Buck's mind. Hedid not fear for her personal safety. Alf Manning was there, and thoughStratton did not like him he had never doubted the fellow's courage or hisability to act as a protector to the three women, should the need arise.But that such a need would arise seemed most unlikely, for Lynch hadnothing to gain by treating the girl save with respect and consideration.He had no compunction about robbing her, but she could scarcely beexpected to enter further into his schemes and calculations, especially ata time when his whole mind must be a turmoil of doubt and fear anduncertainty as to the future.
Nevertheless, Buck wished more than once that he had been able to get intouch with her since that memorable afternoon when he had watched herride out of sight down the little canyon, if only to prepare her for whatwas going on. It must have been very hard for her to go about day afterday, knowing nothing, suspecting a thousand things, fretting, worrying,with not a soul to confide in, yet forced continually to present anuntroubled countenance to those about her.
"Thank the Lord it'll soon be over and she'll be relieved," he thought,when they finally came in sight of the ranch-house.
As the posse swept through the lower gate and up the slope, Buck's eyessearched the building keenly. Not a soul was in sight, either there orabout the corrals. He had seen it thus apparently deserted more than oncebefore, and told himself now that his uneasiness was absurd. But when thegirl suddenly appeared on the veranda and stood staring at the approachinghorsemen, Buck's heart leaped with a sudden spasm of intense relief, andunconsciously he spurred his horse ahead of the others.
As he swung himself out of the saddle, she came swiftly forward, her faceglowing with surprise and pleasure.
"Oh, I'm so glad you've come," she said in a low, quick voice, claspinghis outstretched hand. "We've been worrying--You--you're quite all rightnow?"
"Fine and dandy," Buck assured her. "Thanks to you, and Bud, I'm perfectlywhole again."
She greeted Jessup, who came up smiling, and then Sheriff Hardenberg waspresented.
"Very glad to meet you, Miss Thorne," he said. There was a faint twinklein his eyes as he glanced toward Stratton for an instant, his beliefconfirmed as to the principal reason for Buck's desire to keep the secretof the Shoe-Bar ownership. Then he became businesslike.
"Where's Lynch and the rest of 'em?" he asked briskly.
The girl's face grew suddenly serious. "I don't know," she answeredquickly. "They were all working about the barns until a strange cow-boyrode in about two hours ago. I saw him pass the window but didn't thinkmuch about it. About half an hour or so later I went out to give someorders to Pedro; he's the cook, you know. But he wasn't there and neitherwas Maria, and when I went out to the barns the men were gone. Of coursesomething urgent might easily have taken them out on the range, butneither Maria nor Pedro has been off the place for weeks. Besides, when Ipeeped into the bunk-house everything was tossed about in confusion, asif--Well, I was afraid something--had happened."
"Something has," stated the sheriff grimly. "The truth is, that scoundrelLynch has got to the end of his rope, and we're after him."
The girl's face paled, then flushed deeply. "What--what is it?" she askedin a low, troubled voice. "What has he--"
"It's rather a long story, and I'm afraid there isn't time to stop andtell you now," explained the sheriff as she paused. "We've got to makeevery minute count. You have no idea which way they went?"
"It must have been west or south," the girl answered promptly. "If they'dgone any other way I should have seen them."
"Fine," said Hardenberg, wheeling his horse. "Don't you worry aboutanything," he added over one shoulder. "We'll be back in a jiffy."
As he and his men spurred down the slope toward the entrance to middlepasture, the girl's eyes sought Stratton's.
"You--"
"I must." He quickly answered her unspoken question. "They'll need us toshow them the way. We'll be back, though, as so
on as we possibly can.You're not nervous, are you? You're perfectly safe, of course, with--"
"Of course," she assured him promptly. "Lynch has gone. There'll benothing for us to worry about here. Good-by, then, for a while. And do becareful--both of you."
Her face was a trifle pale, and about her mouth and chin were traced a fewfaint lines which hinted vaguely of forced composure. As Buck hastened toovertake the posse, he recalled her expression, and wondered with atroubled qualm whether she wasn't really more nervous than she let herselfappear. Perhaps she might have been more comfortable if he or Bud hadremained at the ranch-house.
"Probably it's all my imagination," he decided at length. "With Manningthere, she's perfectly safe, especially as we've got the whole gang on therun. The ranch-house would be the very last place they'd head for."
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