"That's fair talk, Jim, an' I don't blame him for givin' it to you," suggested the deputy. "Now you chaw yerself for a while, an' let me say somethin'. It don't stan' to reason that any business man is goin' to try to keep a stolen hoss. On 'tother han', he'd be a fool to give up on the word o' three men he never seen till just now. You, Jim, ain't such a fool as to want to air the family skunk so fur from home, an' Mr. Somerton here ain't likely to be over'n above anxious to have a fuss that'll let ev'rybody in town know that he was took in by an amatoor hoss-thief. Now, Jim, jest sa'nter out an' get some square man, an' not a storekeeper that knows ye, to come in an' speak for ye, as if ye wanted to buy some goods on credit. Thet'll prove who ye be, an' like enough he'll know me, too, 'specially if it's--" "Why not Doctor Taggess?" Philip suggested. "Good idee," the officer replied, "for he knows both of us." "An' he knows the colt, too," said the claimant. "Better and better," Philip declared, for anything would have been preferable, at Claybanks or any other Western town, to being known as a merchant to whom a thief could sell anything. Fortunately the Doctor was at home; he came to the store, identified the claimant, vouched for his honesty and truthfulness, and then identified the colt as the claimant's property. Philip told the entire story to the Doctor, who said there was nothing to do but surrender the horse--or repurchase him. "How much do you want for him, Mr. Marney?" "Ye ain't said what ye give a'ready." "No; that's a different matter. What is your price?" "Cash, note, or trade?" "Whichever you like, if the figures are right." "Well, seein' you've been put to expense a'ready, an' I don't need money for a couple o' months yet, an' you'll most likely give more on time than in cash, I'd rather take your sixty-day note for a hundred back home with me than take the colt back. No other man could have him so cheap." "You shall have it--on condition, written and signed, that neither of you three shall tell the story of the thief's sale. No one else can tell it." "You'll stand by me, boys?" said the claimant, appealingly. "Sure!" "Then I'll take the note, Mr. Somerton, an' you've done the square thing. But say, I'll throw off five dollar ef ye'll tell me what ye paid fer him." "No," said Philip, beginning to draw a bill of sale to include the condition already specified. "I'll make it ten." "No." "Ah, say! I cayn't sleep peaceful without knowin', but this is rubbin' it in. Fifteen!" "Sign this, please," said Philip, showing the bill of sale. Then he passed over his own note for eighty-five dollars, and said:-- "I paid seventy-five dollars, cash." "Well," sighed Marney, "that's a comfort--for besides knowin' how much 'twas, it shows what I wanted to b'lieve, that Bill was as much fool as scoundrel, else he'd 'a' ast more. Good-by, Mr. Somerton an' Doc."