"I know it," responded young Dawson heartily. "I"m not forgettin" it.
And maybe I can return the favor some bright and sunny day. Now if I can have my gun, I"ll just have a word or two with the man you call Tuckleton."
"No words," said Sam Prescott firmly. "Not a word. This thing has gone far enough. There"ll be no shooting round here. Rafe and his outfit are goin" home now, and you"re riding with me back to Tom"s ranch. And to-morrow morning I"ll see you off to Jacksboro. Rafe, I don"t want to hurry you----"
Rafe Tuckleton and his outfit took the hint.
"And you mean to tell me they can get away with a deal like that?"
demanded John Dawson.
Sam Prescott smiled wearily. "What could they be arrested for--always supposing you could get the sheriff to arrest "em, which he wouldn"t."
"Well----"
"There y"are. Of course you could call it attempted a.s.sault. What"s that? Under the statute, a week in jail. And who"d convict "em?"
Tom Walton laughed bitterly. "You don"t know this county, Mr. Dawson.
Anything can happen here."
"Seemingly it can," said Mr. Dawson in frank disgust.
"You see," said Rafe, "I"d figured we"d have to find somebody to lynch for rustlin" so that infernal Tom Walton wouldn"t be suspectin" us alla time. Shindle ran across this Dawson party in Hillsville and guessed he"d fill the bill, he being a stranger and all."
"So Skinny rode ahead and let you know he was coming, huh?" queried Sam Larder.
"Yeah. Oh, d.a.m.n the luck! Who"d have expected Wingo and Tyler to be at Walton"s?"
"They did put a crimp in your plans, sort of," a.s.sented Larder.
"And now Tom Walton is more suspicious than ever," contributed Tip O"Gorman.
"I can fix that Wingo, though," snarled Rafe Tuckleton. "He"ll never get elected sheriff now."
Tip smiled. "Won"t he?"
"No he won"t he!"
"That"s just the thing will cinch his election. I"m gonna play it up strong in the campaign."
"What! Why, he tried to show us up!"
"And succeeded in doing it, according to your tell. That"s all right; Rafe, you were a little too raw, you know. I"ve cautioned you about being more careful. You wouldn"t take advice and you"ll have to take your medicine--this time. I"ll explain matters to Bill, where you stand and everything. You"ll find it won"t happen again."
With which Tuckleton was forced to be satisfied.
That night Tip O"Gorman had a long talk with Billy Wingo. Tip did not tell him all he knew, by any means. Such was not his custom. To understand Tip one had to do a deal of reading between the lines. But when Tip went home, he carried with him the belief that Billy understood perfectly the desires and aims of the county machine and would be a willing worker.
Billy sat looking up at the ceiling for quite a long time after Tip was gone. Finally he laughed silently.
"Tip, you"re an old scoundrel," he said aloud, "but I can"t help liking you, just the same. I hope I don"t have to step too hard on your toes."
CHAPTER SEVEN
RAFE"S IDEA
"Tell you what, Jonesy," said Rafe, "this ranch needs a mistress."
Jonesy laughed as at a pleasantry and continued to talk of the mischance in the matter of young Dawson.
"I mean it," interrupted Rafe, wagging his head. "I"m tired of living single."
"Well," said Jonesy, "you can always get some petticoat to live with you for a while."
"I don"t mean a floozie. I mean a sure-enough lady like."
"Oh, one of _them_, huh? I dunno, Rafe. I married a good woman once, and take it from me they sure cramp a feller"s style."
"It depends on the woman. There are women and women. If a feller is careful who he picks, he don"t run a bad chance. Me, I got my eye on young Hazel Walton."
Jonesy looked his astonishment. "Her?"
"Why not?"
"After this Dawson business?"
"Why not?"
"She wouldn"t look at you."
"Don"t you fool yourself. Why wouldn"t she look at me, I"d like to know? I got money. She could wear good clothes and have help in the kitchen. What more could a woman want?"
Jonesy shook his head. "This Dawson business has queered you there, and you can bet on it."
"Oh, that"s easy explained--to her."
"H-m-m-m, well, maybe so. I dunno, she looks to me like one girl who knows her own mind. And there"s Tom Walton who don"t like us, either.
You gotta think of all these things."
"I have. The more I think of it, the more I think she"ll do."
"Funny you never noticed it before. She"s been around with her uncle several years now."
"I never even gave her more"n a short look till I seen her holding that Dawson man"s head in her lap, and then stickin" up for him the way she did. I tell you, she looked mighty handsome."
"She"s a lot younger than you."