him?" said Pete
tolerantly. Then his face clouded over. "He might have let me in on it!"
he complained. "Jack, you lead me to your grub pile and tell me all about
it. Sounds real interestin'. Where's Bob? He asleep yet?"

"Huh! Asleep?" said Carr with a sniff that expressed fatherly pride in no
small degree.

"Not him! Lit out o' here at break o' day--him and that devil horse of
his, wrangling the work stock. He's a mighty help to me. I ain't very
spry on my pins since--you know."

To eke out the words he gave an extra swing to his twisted leg. They came
to a great freight wagon under a tree, with tackle showing that it was a
six-horse outfit.

"Here we are! 'Light down and unsaddle, Petey, and we'll take off the
packs. Turn your horses loose. Bobby'll look out for them when he comes.
No need to hobble. There! Wash up? Over yonder's the pan. I'll pour your
coffee and one for myself. I've eaten already. Pitch in!"

Pete equipped himself with tinware and cutlery, doubled one leg under and
sat upon it before the fire. From the ovens and skillets on the embers
Pete heaped his plate with a savory stew, hot sourdough bread, fried
rabbit, and canned corn fried to a delicate golden brown. Pete took a
deep draught of the unsweetened hot black coffee, placed the cup on the
sand beside him, and gathered up knife and fork.

From the farther side of the fire Carr brought another skillet,
containing jerky, with onions and canned tomatoes.

"From the recipe of a nobleman in the county," he said.

"Now, then," said Pete, "tell it to me."

So Carr told him at length the story of the robbery and Stanley
Mitchell's arrest, aided by a few questions from Pete.

"And the funny thing is, there's a lot of folks not so well satisfied
yet, for all they found the money and notwithstandin' the young feller
himself didn't make no holler. They say he wasn't that kind. The deputy
sher'f, 'special, says he don't believe but what it was a frame-up to do
him. And Bull Pepper, that found the money hid in the saddle riggin',
says he: 'That money was put there a-purpose to be found; fixed so it
wouldn't be missed.'"

He looked a question.

"Ya-as," said Pete.

Thus encouraged, Carr continued:

"And Old Mose Taylor, at the Mountain House--Mitchell got his hearin'
before him, you know--he says Mitchell ain't surprised or excited or much
worried, and makes no big kick, just sits quiet, a-studyin', and he's
damned if he believes he ever done