"The boys ain't reported nothin' suspicious, but there ain't a hell of a lot of Double R cows left," Bill McAllister said, after a moment's thought. "When did this here Spur Treadwell person turn up?" Allen asked. "Now, look here, Jim, yuh're barkin' up the wrong tree," Bill said warmly. "Spur ain't got nothin' to do with this rustlin'. 'Cause why? 'Cause didn't he down them rustlers what gunned the old man? No gent could get away with a thing like that, 'cause tother gents workin' for him would sure quit." "That's sure correct," Doc said gravely. "An' didn't Spur, after John Reed was killed, go tearin' over to Boston Jack's outfit ready to tear it apart. An' he sure would have if he'd found anythin' wrong. An' Sandy McGill dropped one of Boston's men. No, sir, Spur ain't in cahoots with Boston or he could never get away with a thing like that." "Jim, yuh're sure wrong about Spur," Bill insisted. "I ain't sayin' he didn't frame Slivers 'cause of Dot, but he ain't no rustler," Bill insisted. Jim Allen had far more knowledge of the duplicity of which some men are capable than the other two. It was hard for him to understand how any men could be so blind. He looked at them quizzically for a moment. "Yuh see ol' man Reed after he was shot?" he asked unexpectedly. "Sure--we both see him," Doc replied. "They sent for me when he was shot, but when I reached the ranch Spur tol' me he was dead. I was goin' to look at him, but Spur says I couldn't do no good an' for me to tend to Dot." "Then yuh didn't see him?" Allen asked sharply, with a touch of acute disappointment in his voice. "Yeh, I did. Me an' Bill, here, was his oldest friends, so we sneaked in to sorta say good-by all by ourselves, late that night," Doc said sadly. "An' I'm bettin' yuh both was mad when yuh see how he was shot to pieces." "We sure swore loud and plenty," McAllister growled. Doc Hollis stared at the outlaw, and then took two quick steps toward him. "Most folks don't know he was shot up bad. How'd yuh know?" he asked, as a quick suspicion entered his mind. Allen's face held a hopeless expression as he met the angry eyes of the older man. "Yuh thinkin', 'cause I claims to be a friend of Slivers--an' as Spur says he was there, mebbe I was, too, when the old man got his?" he asked sarcastically. "That sorta proves yuh can think, but if yuh'll recollect that Spur is now Dot's guardian, mebbe yuh'll see what I see." Doc Hollis looked from Allen to Bill McAllister. His face wore a puzzled expression. Slowly this changed to one of startled wonder and then to furious anger. "The thing was so complete I never thinks. Damn the skulkin' coyote! Don't yuh see, Bill? Think! The old man couldn't write that will after he was downed!" Doc cried excitedly. "Hell! I sure does now--but them dead rustlers--the thing was so pat," McAllister mumbled.