"We'll have our talk with him after we've taken a look around," the sheriff amended, grinning a little. "It's just a matter of form--nothing you need to object to, one way or the other. I don't suppose we'll find anything--" "No, I don't suppose you will. Not unless you find it on the road back. I hate to seem unfriendly, but I'll just have to ask you to crawl on your horse and go see Tom about it." "Now, we don't want any unpleasantness at all, Mrs. Lorrigan. But this man has swore out a warrant--" "Shucks! What he does never did interest me one way or the other, and does not now. I'm telling you there'll be no snooping around here while Tom's away." "Oh, well, now!" The sheriff rather prided himself on his ability to "handle folks peaceable," as he expressed it. He injected a little more of the oil of persuasiveness into his voice. It was his standard recipe for avoiding trouble with a woman. "You don't think for a minute I'd take advantage of his absence, Mrs. Lorrigan? Nothing like that at all. We just want to see if a certain cowhide is here. If it isn't, then we won't need to bother Tom at all, maybe. Get down, Mr. Douglas, and we'll just have a look around. Mrs. Lorrigan ain't going to make no objections to that." Belle smiled. "Oh, yes, she is. She's going to do quite a lot of objecting. You better stay right where you are, Scotty. You're a heap safer." The sheriff began to lose patience. "Now, look here, Mrs. Lorrigan! You're dealing with the law, you know. We can't have any nonsense." "We won't have," Belle assured him placidly. "That's what I've been trying to beat into your head. Why, good Lord! Can't you take the hint and see I'm trying not to have any trouble with yuh? I don't want to have to _run_ you off the ranch--but as you say, there's not going to be any nonsense. I said, _go_. I'm waiting to see if you've got sense enough to do it." "Sa-ay! Just look here now! Do you know it's a State's prison offense to resist an officer!" The sheriff's face was growing red. Belle laughed. "Sure. But I'm not. You--you're irresistible! And I don't know you're an officer." This went over the sheriff's head and was wasted, though Aleck Douglas pulled down his mouth at the corners as though he was afraid he might smile if he were not careful. The sheriff took up his bridle reins, preparing to lead his horse over to a post and tie him. He glanced at Belle and saw that she had a six-shooter in her hand and a glitter in her eyes. Quite naturally he hesitated. Then, at a perfectly plain signal from the gun, he turned his palms toward her at a level with his shoulders. "You needn't tie up. Crawl into the saddle and drift." "I've got a search warrant--"