Essential Western Novels - Volume 4. Max Brand

may be here any time now."

      "Well, he'd wire you, wouldn't he?" asked Blaine; "so that we could meet the train."

      "He is not coming by train," replied Kay. "He's driving on."

      "Oh," said Blaine; and then, "When was the letter dated?"

      "About four days ago. You see it came while we were on the lion hunt."

      "How long would it take him to drive here?" persisted Cory.

      "He likes to take it easy; so I imagine it would take him three or four days."

      "Oh, by the way," exclaimed Dora Crowell, "there's a friend of mine coming up, Cory. I want you to save a room for her."

      "When is she coming?" asked Blaine.

      "Well, I don't know that, either. She said she would come just as soon as she could get away. It's Olga Gunderstrom, you know. You heard me speak of her before. She said she had a few more matters to settle up; and then she could get away for a week or ten days, and she wants to come up here with me and rest. I imagine it has been pretty hard for her."

      "The poor child," said Miss Pruell sympathetically.

      "Did she say whether they found the murderer yet or not?" asked Cory.

      "No, but they are pretty sure now that it was Buck Mason. They can't find trace of him anywhere."

      "Is that the only reason they got for suspecting him?" asked Marvel.

      "What more reason do you want?" asked Butts. "Who else could it have been?"

      "Well, maybe you're right," said Marvel; "but that's sort of slim evidence to hang a man on."

      "They have more than that," said Dora.

      "Oh, have they?" asked Marvel.

      "An Indian turned up two or three weeks after the murder who said that he saw Buck Mason riding away from Mr. Gunderstrom's cabin late in the afternoon of the murder."

      "I guess they got that guy hogtied all right," said Butts.

      "It certainly looks like it," agreed Marvel.

      "There aint no doubt but what he done it," said Butts.

      "They are trying to find the man who telephoned the sheriff's office and gave the clue," said Dora. "They can't imagine who it could have been; but now they are commencing to think that Mason was one of the gang that has been robbing banks and paymasters all around there for the last year, and that one of his own men, who had it in for him, tipped off the sheriff."

      "That certainly sounds like a good theory," said Marvel, "but how are they going to find the fellow that called up?"

      "That's where the trouble comes in," said Dora. "Olga wrote me that the only clue that they have to him is that an old man by the name of Cage, who received the message, said that the man talked as though he had a harelip."

      "That's not much of a clue," said Blaine. "There's a lot of men in the country with harelips."

      "Well, if they're going to hang all the men with harelips and all the men that haven't been seen around Comanche County for the last three or four weeks, they've got some wholesale job cut out for themselves," said Bruce with a laugh. "When did you say Miss Gunderstrom was coming, Dora?"

      "I may get a telegram most any time," replied Dora.

      "I'll save a room for her," said Blaine. "I'm expecting a party of four or five on from Detroit, but we'll make room some way for Kay's father and Miss Gunderstrom."

      Birdie Talbot suppressed a yawn. "My gracious," she said, "I'm nearly dead. I think we should all go to bed."

      "That's the first really bright remark anyone has made this evening," said Dora.

      The suggestion seemed to meet with general approval; and as the guests rose to go to their rooms, Cory motioned to Marvel. "I want to see you a minute," he said. "See you fellows in the morning," he said to Butts and Bud; and then when the two were alone, he turned back to Marvel. "How much longer you figurin' on bein' here?" he asked.

      "I like it first rate here," replied Marvel. "I was planning on staying awhile."

      "Well, I got all these people comin' now," said Blaine, "and I'll be needin' your room pronto."

      "When do you expect the people from Detroit?" asked Marvel.

      "They may be along any day now," replied Blaine.

      "Then I'll wait 'till they come," said Marvel; and turning, he entered the house.

      "Wait," said Blaine, "there's one more thing."

      Marvel turned in the doorway. "What is it?" he asked.

      "I'm sort of responsible for these girls here," said Blaine. "I got to look after 'em. It's just hands off, do you understand?"

      "I hear, but I don't understand," replied Marvel.

      "If you know what's good for your health, you will understand," snapped Cory.

      For a moment the two men stood looking at each other, and the air was charged with hostility. Then Blaine walked down the porch to the entrance to his own room, and Bruce Marvel disappeared within the interior of the ranch house.

      "So," thought Marvel, as he entered his room and lighted his oil lamp, "Mr. Blaine is jealous. I'm glad that it isn't anything else. He sure had me guessing though at first."

      After he had taken off his outer clothing, Marvel opened his trunk and extracted a suit of silk pajamas. They were brand new and had never been worn. He examined them critically as he had upon several other similar occasions and then he replaced them carefully in the trunk and slipped into bed in his underclothing. "I suppose I'll have to learn to wear 'em some day," he murmured; "but, Lord, what if the house would get on fire when a fellow was wearing things like that?" And he was still shuddering at the thought as he fell asleep, to dream of a blonde head and blue denim overalls.

      Late that night a fire burned upon the summit of a rocky hill below the ranch house, but none of the sleeping inmates saw it, and by morning it was only cold ashes.

      ––––––––

      XI

      "THAT WOULD BE EDDIE"

      BRUCE MARVEL was a few minutes late for breakfast the following morning, and all of the guests were seated when he entered the dining room. He greeted them with the quiet smile with which they had become so familiar, and a casual word here and there in reply to the banal remarks to the accompaniment of which a group of human beings usually starts the day. Cory Blaine alone did not look up as he entered, a fact which did not seem to abash Marvel in the least.

      "Good morning, Cory," he said cheerily.

      "Mornin'," grumbled Blaine.

      "Ready for the paper chase, Bruce?" asked Kay White.

      "What paper chase?" he asked.

      "Oh, that's so, you weren't at supper last night, were you?" continued the girl. "We arranged it all then. We are going to have a paper chase today."

      "I'm sorry," spoke up Cory, "but I can't go today. I've got to attend to a little business, and I figured on letting Bud take you all over to Crater Mountain. There aint any of you seen that, and it's worth seein'. Tomorrow we'll have the paper chase."

      "One day is as good as another," said the girl, "and I've always wanted to see the crater of the old volcano."

      "Pshaw!" exclaimed Marvel. "I was figurin' that Bud could help me find a horse's tooth this morning."

      Blaine looked up at him in disgust and then suddenly the light of inspiration shone in his eyes. "Why that can be fixed up all right,"