“Wellman would be the one to go in. Freel would be the one to hang back,” Carver said. “That’s why I planned for you and me to stay outside in the grass instead of waiting inside. Wellman and me used to be friends--likely would be still if it wasn’t for Freel. It makes a difference, some way. Wellman’s harmless to us from now on, outlawed for this night’s business. He’ll be riding the hills with the wild bunch till some one comes bringing him in.” He stopped speaking to listen to the thud of many hoofs pounding down the trail from the ridge. “Now I wonder who that will be,” he speculated. “You know now,” Bart accused. “You always know. Whoever it is didn’t come without you had it planned in advance. But I’ll never tell what I think.” “No, I wouldn’t,” Carver advised. Mattison reached the foot of the trail with his men. “What’s up?” he inquired. “We’d just stopped at the Half Diamond H to ask you to put us up for the night. Nobody home. I thought I might find you here so we’d just started over when all that shooting set in and we hustled along. You two out hunting for owls?” “Yes,” Carver said. “There’s one by the door. The other one flew out the window. Bart and I was reclining out here in the grass talking things over when the pair of them eased up to the door and one slipped on in. I asked how about it and the man in the door started to shoot. Then we did some shooting ourselves. The party there by the door is our amiable sheriff.” “Then the one that got off is Wellman,” one of the posse spoke up. “Right from the first shot I guessed it. I’ve heard it whispered round that they was planning to get you, and when the ruckus broke I was looking to find you two dead when we got here. I’m glad they got it instead. That whole county seat bunch needs cleaning out.” There was a chorus of assent from the posse and under its cover Carver murmured to Bart. “So much for background,” he said. “It’s a right queer bit of business for them two to be at,” Mattison stated. “I’ll have to put off gathering that information from Freel. You’d better saddle up and ride on into town with me, Carver, and we’ll report this affair to the county attorney. You boys bring Freel in with you. He’s likely got a horse tied round somewheres close. Scout around till you find him. Yes, we’ve been needing a change of officials at the county seat for some time and it does look like the alteration has been effected to-night.” Carver rode off with the marshal. “Thanks for going to all that bother,” Carver said. “I’m indebted a lot.” “It just evens that score,” said the marshal. “And the whole thing worked out nice. It’ll make a clean sweep in Oval Springs. Wellman won’t show up any more. I’ll venture to predict that the two Ralstons will have vanished from these parts before morning and the county attorney is scared into a state of palpitation right now. He’ll attend to all the necessary formalities to see that you’re given honorable mention instead of a trial.”