rbed in a profound regret. His whole attitude became the
perfection of a righteous indignation and sympathy, which almost
deceived Buck himself.

"See here, Buck," he exclaimed, leaning across his bar. "You an' me
don't always see things the same way. Guess I don't allus hit it with
the Padre. No, I guess ther' ain't a heap of good feeling among the
three of us. But before you leave here I want to say jest one thing,
an' it's this. Sheriff or no sheriff, deputies or no deputies, if
they're lookin' fer the Padre for murder I say it's a jumped-up fake.
That man couldn't do a murder, not to save his soul. An' it'll give me
a whole heap o' pleasure fixin' up your winter stores. An' good luck
to you both--when you hit the long trail."

A murmur of approval went round the room amongst those of the company
who remembered the days before the gold strike. And Beasley, in his
long career of mischief, almost achieved popularity.

Buck could scarcely believe his ears. And his incredulity was not
lessened as he looked into the furtive eyes of the man who had
expressed himself so cordially.

But he had been given the opportunity he knew he would need sooner or
later. He knew that there were men in the camp who would stand by the
Padre in emergency, and they must know the truth. Since Aunt Mercy's
campaign had opened, and the news of it was spread abroad, these men
must be told the facts, and know his own attitude. He might well need
their assistance in the future, as they, in the past, had needed the
Padre's.

"I take it you mean that, Beasley," he said without warmth. Then,
ignoring the man, he turned to those gathered about him. "I don't know
how Beasley's got this thing, fellers," he said, in his simple
fashion. "It don't matter, anyway. I hadn't a notion the sheriff was
comin' along yet, either. That don't matter. Anyways I guessed he
would be comin' sooner or later, an' that's the reason I'm layin' in
stores of gun stuff an' things. Yes, he's comin' for the Padre on a
charge of murder, a low-down charge of murder that he never committed.
You know the ways of the law, an' how things sure go in such rackets.
The charge is nigh twenty years old. Wal, maybe it'll be nigh
impossible for him to prove he didn't do it. It looks that way.
Anyways, I tell you right here, ther' ain't no sheriff in this country
goin' to git him while I'm alive. He's raised me from a starvin' kid,
an' he's bin the biggest thing on earth to me, an' I'm