Part 21 (1/2)
Larue laughed.
”Guess they'd better not try it. Where did you hear that fairy story, young man?”
”It's not a fairy tale--it is the fact.”
Mr. Simms had risen from his chair and was now facing Tad. He saw in the lad's face what convinced him that there was more to be told.
”Let me hear all about it, Master Tad,” he said.
”Somebody's been filling the boy up with tenderfoot yarns,” smiled the foreman.
Tad did not appear to heed the foreman's scoffing. Instead, he began in a low incisive voice the narration of his experiences of the previous night, beginning with the bear hunt and ending with his finding his way out of the forest that morning.
As he proceeded with the story, the lines on the face of the banker grew tense, his blue eyes appearing to fade to a misty gray.
At first indifferent, Larue soon p.r.i.c.ked up his ears, then became intensely interested in the story.
”And that's about all I can think of to tell you,” concluded Tad.
Ned uttered a low whistle of amazement.
”So you think this is a tenderfoot yarn, eh?” asked the banker, turning to his foreman.
”Not now,” answered Larue. ”I guess the boy did get it straight.”
”Humph! You had no means of knowing--didn't hear what his name was, did you?”
”No, sir. He was a big man with red hair and beard and he had a scar over his left temple. The men with him called him Bluff.”
”Don't know any such man, do you, Luke?”
Luke shook his head.
”n.o.body who would mix up in such a dirty deal as that. Oscar Stillwell who owns a cow ranch on the other side of the Rosebud, answers to that description, but he ain't the man for that kind of a raw job. Known him five years now.”
”Sure about him, are you?”
”Positive. He don't approve of the hatred that the cowmen generally have for the sheep business. Says there's free gra.s.s enough for all of us and that the sheepmen have just as much right to it as the cowmen. I'll ride over to his ranch this afternoon and talk with him. I can tell him the story without his giving it away.”
”Just as you think best. You know your man and I don't.”
”Yes. And if there's any such plan on foot, he'll be likely to know about it.”
”This business has been getting altogether too common. All the way up and down the old Custer trail, there has been sheep killing, sheep stealing, stampeding and no end of trouble for the past year. We have seemed unable to fix the responsibility on anyone. But I'll tell you that if they try to break into any of our herds this time, somebody is going to be shot,” decided Mr. Simms, compressing his lips tightly together. ”We're forewarned this time.”
”Have you any suggestions, Mr. Simms? I must be getting back to the ranch if this is in the wind?”
”Yes. Let no one outside of our own men, know that we suspect, unless it be Stillwell and you are sure you can trust him----”
”There's no doubt of it.”