“Talk like this, honey?” Lon drew down a corner of his mouth and spoke out of it. “‘De king o’ Prooshia on de job.’” Her curls danced violently up and down with acquiescence. The foreman turned to Reed. “He’s sure enough the same bird. Where’s he been keepin’ himself at, you reckon?” “Jake Prowers could tell us that,” his employer replied grimly. This suggested another question to Forbes. “Listen, honey Ruth. This here bad man--did him an’ Black here act kinda like they was friends?” “They had a fuss,” she said. “What about?” her father asked. “’Bout me. The bad man said I wasn’t comin’ home to Daddy, ’n’ he said I was too. They had a nawful fuss.” “The bad man an’ Black here?” She nodded. “’N’ he tooked me on his horse ’n’ broughted me.” Forbes drew aside his friend and spoke low. “Looks like he’s got it on you, Clint. Here’s about the size of it, the way I figure it. This scalawag Cig’s hidin’ out in the hills. Jake Prowers is likely lookin’ after him. Well, he steals Ruth, an’ Don here bumps into him whilst he’s makin’ his getaway. They have a rumpus, an’ Don brings her home. He acted pretty near like a white man, seems to me. ’Course, he ain’t gonna give away this tramp if he’s one of Prowers’s push. That wouldn’t be hardly reasonable to expect.” “No, I reckon not,” admitted Reed. “You got no kick at Black. Hadn’t been for him I’ll bet Ruth wouldn’t ’a’ been here a-tall. Point is, that with him there Jake and this Cig couldn’t put over any shenanigan.” The owner of the Diamond Bar K stepped across to the homesteader. “Take it all back, Don. I’m mightily obliged to you for bringing my li’l’ girl home. If I ever get a chance--” Black interrupted. “Oh, that’s all right. What do you take me for, anyhow? I ain’t any Apache. Why wouldn’t I bring a kid home when I find her lost? You birds make me tired.” He nodded brusquely, wheeled his horse, and rode away. CHAPTER XXI IRREFUTABLE LOGIC Merrick sat at a table in the log cabin that served him as field headquarters. A cheap lamp pinned down one corner of the map in front of him, a jar of tobacco the opposite one. Tug Hollister looked over his shoulder. He was here to get instructions for his new assignment. Piñon knots crackled cheerfully in the fireplace, emphasizing the comfort within the cabin as compared with the weather outside. It was raining heavily and had been for forty-eight hours.