oint she became tearful, and the most that could be drawn from
her was a statement that Watson had refused to loan or sell her any
blankets. She denied that Busby was with her, and insisted that she was
alone till Carmody convinced her that she was only making matters worse
by such replies.

"Your visit was at night," he said. "You would never have walked in that
flour in the daytime, and you wouldn't have gone there alone in the
night. Busby wouldn't have permitted you to go to Watson's alone--he
knew Watson too well." The force of this remark was felt by nearly every
person in the room.

Hanscom said: "Mr. Coroner, this girl is trying to shield Busby, and I
want her confronted by him, and I want Eli Kitsong called."

By this time many admitted that they might have been mistaken in
accusing the Kauffmans of the deed.

Busby, a powerful young fellow, made a bad impression on the stand. His
face was both sullen and savage, and the expression of his eyes furtive.
He was plainly on guard even before Raines warned him to be careful.

"My name is Hart Busby," he said, in answer to Carmody. "I'm twenty-six
years old. I was born in the East. I've been here eight years." Here he
stopped, refusing to say where his parents lived or when he first met
Margarita. He flatly denied having had any serious trouble with Watson,
and declared that he had not seen him for almost a year.

"What were you doing in the Kauffmans' cabin?" demanded Hanscom. "You
won't deny my finding you there, will you?"

He told the same story that Rita had sworn to. "We were riding by and
saw that the place was deserted, and so we went in to look around."

"When did _you_ first hear of Watson's death?" asked Carmody.

The witness hesitated. A look of doubt, of evasion, in his eyes. "Why,
the ranger told us."

"Which of you owns that sorrel horse?" asked one of the jury.

Raines again interposed. "You needn't answer that," he warned. "That's
not before the court."

Carmody went on. "Now, Busby, you might as well tell us the truth. Henry
and Rita both state that Watson had refused to pay you, and that you had
a scrap and Watson kicked you off the place. Is that true?"

Raines rescued him. "You don't have to answer that," he said, and the
witness breathed an almost inaudible sigh of relief.

A violent altercation arose at this point between the coroner and the
lawyer. Carmody insisted on his right to ask any question he saw fit,
and Raines retorte