Laura Mallory shrank back from
the sight of two gunmen looking steadily into each other's eyes, their
hands ready for the lightning draw--each waiting for the merest
suggestion of the beginning of a move on the part of the other to get
his weapon into action. But the draws did not come. The pregnant
silence was broken by the thundering roll of many horses galloping
into the yard about the house.

"There!" yelled Eagen in a voice of triumph. "There's your sweet
little posse, Coyote!"

"I expected to see Bob Long when I came down here!" said Rathburn
coolly, looking at Laura Mallory for the first time.

CHAPTER XXXVII

THE TEST OF A MAN

Several men stamped across the porch to the jingle of spur chains.
Others broke in through the back door and entered the kitchen. Sheriff
Bob Long appeared at the door, with two guns leveled.

"You're covered from both doors and all the windows, Rathburn!" he
said sharply.

"That's almost just what I thought, sheriff," Rathburn drawled.

Long stepped into the room, shoving his guns into their holsters. Many
other guns were covering Rathburn.

"What's the meaning of all this, anyway?" demanded Long with a puzzled
expression on his face. His eyes widened, as he saw the bag of money
on the table. "Is that the money that was taken from your bank this
morning Mr. Doane?" he asked sharply.

Doane nodded weakly. The sheriff looked at Rathburn curiously.

"You brought it back? You was up to Joe Price's place."

"Yes, I brought it back, sheriff," said Rathburn cheerfully.

"Well, I'll be frank and tell you, Rathburn, that if you expect
leniency after what happened this morning you might just as well give
up that idea. Any man can change his mind when he sees he can't get
away."

"That's up to you, sheriff," replied Rathburn, taking tobacco and
papers from his shirt pocket. "As I was just tellin' our friend, Mr.
Eagen, I brought it back on purpose, an' I expected to see you when I
got here. I came near not gettin' here at that."

"You took a long chance," scowled Long. "But it won't get you much now
at this stage of the game--especially after the way you led me to
believe this morning that you were thinking of giving yourself up."

Eagen's laugh startled them.

"He brought it back to give it up an' himself, too?" he jeered. "He
brought it back, sheriff, because he an' that rat of a Doane planned
this thing. Coyote got away with the money an' came back here to divvy
u