Aunt Emma nodded. “A terrible thing to wish upon a helpless young one, Skeeter, but go ahead.” “He’s twelve next Saturday. I asked him what he wanted for his birthday and he said he wanted his dad.” Mrs. Davis looked sharply at Skeeter Bill. “You wasn’t here, when Hooty Edwards--got in trouble, Skeeter. You don’t know what it meant to the folks of Road-Runner Valley. It busted the bank, and busted all of us. Most of us ain’t got back on our feet since--I know we ain’t. I feel awful sorry for Margie and her two kids, but I can’t feel sorry for Hooty.” “You feel sure that he done it, Aunt Emma?” She nodded quickly. “It’s a cinch, Skeeter. It didn’t take the jury five minutes all to agree that he was guilty. Even his own lawyer said they didn’t have a leg to stand on. It made it awful hard for Margie. Lots of folks act like she was guilty, too, but she didn’t have no hand in it. The two kids had a hard time in school, too. Most of their parents went busted in the deal, and it ain’t nice for kids, havin’ fingers pointed at ’em.” “Hooty was my friend, Aunt Emma,” said Skeeter slowly. “I know he was. You two was thicker than seven fingers on one hand but hard facts are hard facts, Skeeter.” “Yeah, I reckon so. What became of the banker and his wife?” “Oh, they moved away. Henry Weldon ran the bank for Phoenix men, and they closed it. Never opened since. The loot was close to a hundred thousand dollars, they said, but nobody ever found where Hooty cached it. He swore he didn’t know what he done.” Fuzzy came up from the stable and sat down, mopping his brow. “How’d yuh like to ride out to Hangin’ Rock Spring?” he asked. “I’ve got my two cow-pokes out there, tryin’ to bring order out of chaos, as Emmy says.” “I’d like to,” said Skeeter, rising. “Don’t be too late,” said Mrs. Davis. “I’ll have supper ready at six o’clock.” “I ain’t never been late to a meal out here, Aunt Emma,” Skeeter said with a grin, and added, “and, as a matter of fact, I ain’t had a good meal since.” On the way out there Fuzzy explained about water troubles in Road-Runner Valley. “I had to fence Hangin’ Rock,” he explained. “The other spreads have got more water than I have and they wanted to keep me from havin’ any. It was my property and not open range. The court decided that for me. But--well, you can see what happened.” “You and Dan Houk ain’t friends, eh?” “Never have been, Skeet. He’d like to run me out.” “They tell me that the bank took over Hooty’s place and sold it to Sam Keenan.” “Yeah, that’s right. The bank sold the stock, but sold the ranch to Sam. He got it dirt-cheap, too.” They found Len Riggs and Ollie Ashley, Fuzzy’s two cowpunchers, at the spring, working with shovels, trying to repair the damage that the cattle had made. Both of them remembered Skeeter Bill.