“I’ll get the doctor,” offered Slater, and went out of the door on the run. “Now, who in —— shot him?” demanded Grant. “By ——, they must have waited for him to step out.” “I heard somebody there,” offered Harp. “When I went out I heard a noise over by the corner, but I thought it was a dog.” “Well, he’s still alive,” said Banty Harrison. “While there’s life there’s hope. By ——, I’d like to get my hands on that dirty murderer. I’d sure——” Banty stopped when Brick Davidson, half-dressed, came through the doorway. He squinted around at everyone, stepped in close to Soapy and looked down at him. “I heard the shot,” said Brick. “Tell me about it, somebody.” “Not much to tell, Brick,” said Grant. “Soapy stepped out on the porch and somebody shot him. They must have been layin’ for him. Slater has gone after Doc Meyers.” A few moments later the doctor came, half-asleep, half-dressed. He knelt down beside Soapy, while Brick assisted him with his examination. “Buck-shot,” said Brick angrily. “They wasn’t takin’ no chances, boys.” The doctor was counting the wounds and estimating just what to do. “What’s his chances, Doc?” queried Brick. “Odds against him, I’m afraid. Five of them hit him above the waist and he’s got a couple in his thigh. Somebody get a blanket for a stretcher and we’ll carry him down to my place. None of the lead hit him in a vital spot, but he will have a fight ahead of him. I suppose that some of ’em will be hard to locate, but we’ll do our best.” “I’ll beat it for Silverton to tell his family,” offered Banty. They carried Soapy to Doctor Meyers’ office, where the doctor immediately went to work, trying to locate the buckshot. Brick and Harp went to the office and sat down. Brick held his head in his hands, thinking of every angle of the affair; trying to find a reason why anyone would murder Soapy Caswell. “They waited for him,” said Harp hoarsely. “—— ’em, they was there when I came out. But why did they shoot old Soapy? Why, he’s a good old jigger, Brick. Soapy barked a lot, but he never bit anybody.” “They rohbed him of twenty-seven thousand dollars today,” said Brick. “He had it in the back of that buckboard, and we were held up on Big Elk grade, near where Baldy went over the edge.” “You jokin’, Brick?” Harp did not believe. “Look at the skin off my face,” suggested Brick. “One wheel went off the edge and I took a header down the hill. One man pulled the trick. He was masked—and he knew Soapy was carryin’ that payroll money, Harp.” Harp swore softly and looked closely at Brick. He still thought that Brick was joking. “Twenty-seven thousand dollars, Brick? My ——, how much money is that?” “Well, it’s twenty-six days’ wages for over two hundred men. Soapy said that their wages would average about five dollars per day. Figure it out, cowboy.”