"Cuttin' fences, eh?" he said as he rode close to Lawler. "Well, they're
sort of pickin' on us, I reckon. First there's Blondy Antrim; an' now
Link an' Givens cuttin' the fence. When you goin' to cut loose an' give
'em hell, Boss?"
"Hell is closer than you think, Shorty," said Lawler, gravely.
CHAPTER XXV
IN WHICH A MAN PLOTS
When the storm broke Warden had shown by his actions that he was more
concerned over Link and Givens than over Della Wharton. He had told
Singleton to ride the trail to Willets, to search for the girl, while
himself and several of the Two Diamond men started for the line cabin.
Singleton had left the Two Diamond in the early evening, while Warden
had delayed his departure until after midnight.
Singleton had made good time, and he reached Willets long before
midnight. He made some inquiries, discovering that Della Wharton had not
been seen; and shortly after midnight he was in the low, squatty stable
in the rear of the Wolf Saloon, saddling his horse for the return trip
to the Two Diamond. He was convinced that Della had not come to Willets.
He was about to lead the horse outside when he saw two horsemen riding
through the drifts in the rear of a building near the Willets Hotel. The
light was not good, but Singleton would have recognized Red King in any
light, and he laughed exultantly as he saw the rider dismount.
Singleton abruptly closed the stable door and darted into the shadow of
the stable. Then he crouched, ran low behind a big drift, and gained the
side of a building next to the Willets Hotel. He was close to the two
riders, and he grinned maliciously when he saw that one of them was a
woman.
He heard Lawler knock on the rear door of the hotel; and he crouched in
the shadow of the building until Lawler and the woman entered. But just
before the two entered, Singleton caught sight of the woman's face as
she turned toward him for an instant and the dull light shone upon her.
He watched until Lawler came out again and rode away; and from behind
another building on the other side of the street he saw Lawler going
directly south, which direction would take him to Number One Circle L
line camp.
Then Singleton mounted his horse and followed the trail taken by Lawler.
By the time Singleton struck Lawler's trail, Lawler was out of sight
beyond a low ridge, and Singleton leisurely examined the tracks in the
snow.
He discovered that two sets of tracks led in the direction Lawler was
taking. He followed them for several miles, until there seemed to be no
doubt that Della had been with Lawler at the line camp; then he grinned
and wheeled his horse toward the Two Diamond.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account