lausible. If, as
Billee suggested, Delton cut out when he found there was a price on his
head it doesn't seem reasonable that he'd bother taking the cook along.
How about it, Billee?"

"Ain't makin' no statements," the veteran rancher replied slowly.
"Want to think things out a few minutes first."

"Billee's going to solve the great mystery for us!" Nort laughed.
"Never you mind, ole horse, you knew your stuff when you grabbed that
bill-head from Hawkins's office. The trouble with us was, we were too
slow."

The conversation hit on the topics of the night before as the ranchers
made a healthy breakfast. When they had satisfied their hunger Bud
leaned back in his chair and said:

"Well, what's on the program this morning, Kid? Beckon you better take
charge for a while. Then Dick can be head boss, and so on--'til we get
the sheep in. O. K.?"

"All right with me, Bud," the Kid agreed. "One of us wants to take a
ride into town and see about gettin' hold of a sheep-man. I got to get
me a pony, too."

"I'll go," offered Nort. "Think I'll look up Hawkins. He might like
to know what happened."

The five walked slowly into the yard. The meal seemed to change their
ideas, and set them quietly to thinking. Bud was leaning against the
side of the ranch house. The Kid strolled over to the corral and
looked longingly at the four horses tethered there. Billee Dobb was
seated on the steps smoking his pipe, when he noticed a cloud of dust
in the distance.

"Rider," he said, more to himself than to the others. "Got a hunch who
it is."

The dust cloud grew quickly nearer, and from it emerged the figure of a
man on horseback.

"Someone coming," Dick called.

"Who is it?" Bud asked. From where he stood he was unable to see.

"Don't know yet. Looks familiar, though. Here he comes."

"It's Joe Hawkins!" exclaimed Bud, as the horseman rode into view.
"Hi, Joe--Mr. Hawkins, I mean."

"Joe'll do, son," the deputy said with a smile as he dismounted.
"Looks like you was havin' a convention here."

"Just thinking things over," the Kid, who had walked up, explained.
"Glad you came, Mr. Hawkins."

"Thought that was you," Billee Dobb said, rising to his feet and
removing the pipe from his mouth. "Seen you way off, and says to
myself, bet that's Joe Hawkins."

"You got good eyes," laughed the deputy.

"Oh, it wasn't exactly my eyes. I had a hunch."

"Billee Dobb is our official detective," Bud said with a