a price on every man he happens to
dislike?"

"But he says he don't know anything about it," the sheriff
expostulated. "So how can I prove he does? I'd like to know for sure.
If I thought he was actually set to pay those rewards I'd have to ride
over and remonstrate with Cal. That would be in defiance of the law."

One or two who had been drinking with Carp moved over to speak with
others and failed to return. He was left standing alone at the bar.
He shrugged his shoulders and went out.

"Folks are considerable like sheep," Brill observed. It occurred to
him that in every saloon and in every bunk house within a hundred miles
the topic of conversation was the same.

He lowered one lid as he looked at the sheriff and jerked his head
toward Carson.

"He's broke--and reformed," he said. "Absolutely."

The sheriff drew Carson aside.

"If you're wanting a job I'll stake you to an outfit and feed you
through till spring. Forty a month from then on. I'll need a parcel
of deputies, likely, after that."

"You've got one," Carson stated. "I'll sign now."

The storekeeper, the sheriff and the new deputy stood at one end of the
bar.

"It's queer that folks don't see the real object of this rumor," Brill
observed.

"Its object is to clean out the hardest citizens in the country,"
Carson said. "That's why they're named. Why else?"

"The object is to clean up the rest of the country first," Brill said.

Carson grunted his disbelief.

"If Harris only wanted to wipe out those on the list he wouldn't go to
all this fuss," Brill explained. "He'd just put on an extra bunch of
hands and raid the Breaks himself. Swear he caught them running off a
bunch of Three Bar cows. Simpler and considerable less expense."

"Then what's the object of this bounty?" Carson insisted.

"That's aimed at the doubtful folks," Brill stated. "Folks that was on
the fence--like you. This death list makes them spooky and they turn
into good little citizens in one round of the clock. It leaves the
worst ones outside without a friend. Every one lined up solid behind
the law. Public sentiment will start running strong against those
outside. Then it'll be easy for the sheriff and a bunch of
deputies--like you--to clean the country up from end to end, with the
whole community backing your play."

Carson considered this for some time.

"Well, I can furnish the deputies," he said at last. "Boys that are
strong for law and order