“I think I can guess what Mr. Shepard is here for,” she said, making her beginning. “It concerns the escape of Juniper Joe from prison.” “You’ve hit the nail straight on the head, madam,” Shepard admitted. “That’s a thing that’s worryin’ me a whole lot right now.” He was trying to study the face of the woman, as he had an idea that she bore him no good will, for the reason that he had held her in Blossom Range at a time when she was very anxious to get away. But the study of her face could not reveal much. The paint and powder were laid on too thick for that. Her abundant hair was blondined, or false--perhaps both. But artificial as she was in appearance, she seemed at the moment at least to be in earnest. “I think I can perhaps give information of value,” she declared, “if I am assured that I shall be shielded.” “I think we can promise that, so far as the men in this room are concerned,” the scout assured her. “I don’t know that Mr. Shepard will be likely to think that anything I say can be believed,” she said. “He remembers that I lied to him when I was brought back from Calumet Wells; but I wanted to get away, then, and so thought I had cause for lying. But in this case it’s different. I’ve got a good reason for telling the truth.” She turned to Buffalo Bill. “I don’t need to tell you why Tim Benson killed John Ward, as you know all about it. But you may not know that when he killed him he made me his deadly enemy.” “I had guessed as much,” the scout told her. “So, now that Benson is still hanging round here, and he and Juniper Joe are again together, I want to tell you to watch the saloon of Gopher Gabe.” “We have been doing something in that line already,” the scout told her. “Then you have suspected Gopher Gabe?” “Perhaps I shouldn’t say as much as that; but resorts like his are always to be held in suspicion. Even if the proprietor is straight, such a place draws shady characters of all kinds. “Perhaps you do not know,” he added, “that Gopher Gabe’s place was robbed last night.” Her surprise showed, even under her paint and powder. “I was not aware of it.” “The post office shared the same fate,” he told her. “It puzzles me,” she said; “for that would indicate that the robbers were not friends of Gopher Gabe.” “And you had thought they were?” “Yes, I thought so.” “The robbery at Gopher Gabe’s may have been a mere blind, madam,” said Shepard. “I’ve known o’ the like.” “That would explain it.” She turned back to the scout. “There is one other thing I wanted to mention,” she said. “This new man up on the hill that they speak of as the Fool has been visiting Gopher Gabe’s place. I saw him go in there only yesterday.” “That so?” said Shepard. “You know, Cody, I said I had been suspectin’ that feller. He’s crooked.” “He is gambling at Gopher Gabe’s,” said the woman. “One of the girls with the company here has told me that. I am sure he is in with Gopher Gabe’s gang.”