w would he hurt you by shooting at us?" Sneed
demanded, impatiently.

"Oh, he would scare up a war during the sheriff's absence by throwing your
suspicions on me. He reckoned you would think that I did it, get good
and mad, fly off the handle and raise h--l generally. He figured that
I, according to the past, would meet you half way and that you or some
of your men might kill me. If you didn't, he reckoned that the sheriff
would kick me out of this berth, and that one or both of us might get
killed in the argument. He could sit back and laugh to himself at how easy
it was to square up old scores from a distance. It's Tex as sure as I am
here, and unless Tex changes his plans and gets out of this country d----n
soon he won't be long in getting what he seems to ache for."

Sneed pushed back his sombrero and smiled grimly: "I reckon that you're
right," he replied. "But you ain't sore at the way I asked, are you? I
had to begin somewhere, you know."

"Sore?" rejoined his companion, angrily. "Sore? I'm so sore that I'm going
out after Tex right now. And I'll get him or know the reason why, too.
You go back and post your men about this--and tell them on no account
to ride over my range for a few days, for they might get hurt before they
are known. Put a couple of them to bed as soon as you get back--you need
them to keep watch nights."

He turned toward the corral and called to a man who was busy near it:
"Charley, you take anybody that you want and get in a good sleep before
nightfall. I will want both of you to work to-night."

"All right, after dinner will be time enough," Charley replied. "I'll take
Lefty Lukins."

The Orphan went into the ranch house and returned at once with his rifle,
a canteen of water and a package of food. As he threw a saddle on his
horse Bill galloped up, waving his arms and very much excited.

"Hey, Orphant!" he shouted. "Somebody's shore enough plugged some of our
cows near the creek! I lost his trail at the Cottonwoods!"

"All right, Bill," replied the foreman, "I'll go out and look them over.
You take another horse and ride to the Star C. Tell Blake to keep watch
for Tex Williard, and tell him to hold Tex for me if he sees him. Lively,
Bill!"

Bill stared, leaped from his horse, took the saddle from its back and was
soon lost to sight in the corral. In a few minutes he galloped past his
foreman and Sneed swearing heartily. His quirt arose and fell and soon
he was lost to sight over a