They were coming from the stable. Molly’s clothes were badly torn, and her face bore evidence that she had not enjoyed her enforced stay in the hay loft, but she was unhurt, laughing just a trifle hysterically. Every one was trying to shake hands with her, but she ran to her father and dropped down beside him.
“I’m all right,” he told her. “Kinda leaky, but still on the job, Molly. Don’tcha worry. Everythin’ will be all right now.”
Molly hugged him and turned to the crowd.
“Jack says that everything is all right again. Oh, I hope it is all right, because everything has been all wrong for so long.”
She lifted her eyes and looked up at Marsh Hartwell, as if it was all meant for him. For several moments he looked down at her, as if wondering what to do. Then he walked over, reached down and held out his hand to Eph King.
“Eph,” he said, “I don’t understand it—all. But, by ——, I understand enough to offer yuh my hand—and my friendship. Will yuh take it? I ain’t goin’ to blame yuh, if yuh don’t. I’m all through blamin’ folks for doin’ things.”
King grinned weakly and held up his hand.
“I reckon we might as well be friends, Marsh. I’ve packed a lot of hate in my heart, too, but all the bad blood in me has leaked out today. I—I hope——” He turned and looked at Bill Steen. “Say, Bill, take the boys back to camp and begin’ runnin’ the sheep over Kiopo Pass. They don’t want ’em over here—and I don’t blame ’em.”
He turned to Marsh Hartwell and they shook hands gravely.
“Been a long time, Marsh. I been kinda lonesome to hear a cow bawlin’.”
“Come over any time, Eph,” said Marsh shakily.
“Yore cows are all safe,” said Sleepy. “Noonan says that they are all bunched about fifteen miles from here, out along the railroad. They were goin’ to start movin’ ’em into Sunland in the mornin’, ’cause Larrimer swore that he couldn’t hold Eph King any longer.”
Jack had gone to Molly and put one arm around her shoulder, turning her to face the crowd.
“Boys,” he said, “we thought that the comin’ of the sheep was the worst calamity that could happen to Lo Lo Valley, but I reckon it’s the best thing that ever happened to Molly and me—outside of the comin’ of Hashknife Hartley and his pardner.”
“Shucks!” said Hashknife softly. “It was fate, Jack, just fate.”
“Fate might have brought yuh here, but it was plain —— nerve that kept yuh here,” declared Sudden. “I apologize, Hartley. If yuh want me to, I’ll git down on my knees and ask yore pardon.”
“——!” snorted Sunshine. “Yuh ought to do that anyway. I knowed all the time that——”
“This is no time to lie, Sunshine,” said the sheriff. “They fooled you as much as they did me. At least be honest at a time like this.”
Hashknife grinned widely and looked at Molly.
“Mrs. Hartwell, I’m sure glad for yore sake. The night me and Sleepy found yuh——”
“And I thought Sleepy was a ghost,” laughed Jack. “He had on Molly’s nightgown!”
“Oh, I forgot,” said Mrs. Hartwell, anxiously. “That night——”
She searched inside her waist and drew out a sheet of paper, which she handed to Jack.
“That is the letter that McLeod brought me, Jack. You were so angry when you came back, and tore the letter—oh, I—I—it hurt me to think that you suspected me
“Good gosh!” exploded Jack. “Oh, I must ’a’ been a fool. This letter—” he held it out toward the crowd—“was from her father. I was fool enough to think my own wife was a spy for the sheepmen. I tore a corner off, in tryin’ to take the letter from her. And on the part I got, was, ‘Find out what—’. Just those three words. And I thought Eph King was askin’ for information about the cattlemen. Here is what the letter says—including what I tore off:
“Dear Molly: Just a short note to let you know that I have found out how things are for you and Jack down there. Why didn’t you write and tell your old dad about it? De Larimore told me how they had treated you, and it makes me mad enough to come down and whip the whole valley. See if you can find out what Jack wants to do. I have plenty of work for a man like Jack. If he don’t want to work with sheep, I can turn the Turkey Track ranch over to him. He knows enough about cattle to make that ranch pay——”
“Dear Molly: Just a short note to let you know that I have found out how things are for you and Jack down there. Why didn’t you write and tell your old dad about it? De Larimore told me how they had treated you, and it makes me mad enough to come down and whip the whole valley. See if you can find out what Jack wants to do. I have plenty of work for a man like Jack. If he don’t want to work with sheep, I can turn the Turkey Track ranch over to him. He knows enough about cattle to make that ranch pay——”
“Turkey Track?” interrupted Marsh Hartwell wonderingly.
“I’ve owned it for two years, Marsh,” said King softly. “Yuh see, I couldn’t keep out of the cattle business. The man you call Larrimer was recommended to me by Jack Noonan, about the time I bought the Turkey Track, so I made it appear that Larrimer was the owner.
“Larrimer framed up this thing and kept me posted. He and his men were the ones that shot the old man at Kiopo Pass. He told me that he had it fixed for us to drive straight into the valley, but later on he said his plans had gone wrong. Then he said that there were some men who suspected him and that it would be impossible to break through his side of the line.
“He told us that the dead-line was mined with dynamite, and that a sparrow couldn’t cross it. We had no way of finding out just how strong the line was. He wanted us to wait, so we waited—until Hartley came across and told us the truth. Now I’m goin’ to give Jack and Molly the Turkey Track for a weddin’ present. And I wish you’d see about gettin’ me to a doctor, cause I don’t want to die off, when there’s so much hatchet-buryin’ goin’ on, Marsh.”
“Just as soon as we can get yuh to one, Eph,” said Marsh. “We’ll take yuh to the Arrow, while one of the boys rides after the doctor.”
“What about me?” Thus Abe Allison.
No one had paid any attention to him. He had taken no part in the shooting, made no effort to run away. Now the crowd considered him, rather amazed to think that he had been overlooked.
“Oh, yeah,” Hashknife looked at him critically. “You were one of Ed Larrimer’s men, wasn’t yuh, Allison?”
“Uh-huh,” Allison looked around at the crowd. “I’m as guilty as ——, I reckon. To me, this wasn’t a killin’ proposition. But I’m not beggin’. I knew it was crooked work; so I’ll take my medicine.”
“He never killed anybody,” said Larrimer, whose wound was being bound up by one of the sheepmen. “Abe was straight until he worked for me.”
“I’ll take care of him,” said the sheriff firmly. “Get me a lariat, Sunshine. We’ll make a clean sweep of the whole gang while we’re at it.”
“Who will make a clean sweep?” asked Hashknife.
Sunshine stopped and looked back at the sheriff.
“You better answer that, Sudden,” he grinned.
“Well, all right,” grudgingly. “I’ll admit that Hartley made a clean sweep. I’ll help a little by puttin’ Allison where he belongs.”
“Let’s talk about it a little,” said Hashknife. “It appears to me that we all forgot Allison, until he chirps up and asks us what to do with him. My idea of the right thing to do would be to ask Mr. Allison to grab his hat, rattle his hocks out of this country and promise to never come back.”
“You mean—to turn him loose?” asked the sheriff, a trifle amazed. “Why, he’s a rustler——”
“Was, yuh mean,” Hashknife grinned softly. “I reckon he’s what you’d call a complete cure, Sudden.”
The sheriff scratched his head; his eyes squinted thoughtfully.
“You ought to be satisfied, Sudden,” observed Sunshine. “You’ve got enough now to brag about for the rest of yore life.”
Some one laughed. Sudden hunched his shoulders and glared at Sunshine, but turned to Allison, half choking with anger.
“You here yet? Whatsa matter—ain’t yuh got no horse? Want us to haul yuh away? My ——, some folks can’t take a hint!”
He whirled on his heel and barked an order at Sunshine.
“Get some of these reformed sheepherders to help yuh rig up a litter of some kind. We’ve got to pack Eph King to the Arrow. And some of yuh fix up Larrimer, so he can ride a horse. Can’tcha move? My gosh, I don’t want to do everythin’.”
The crowd hastened to construct the litter. Allison had not moved, and now he turned to Hashknife, his face twitching nervously.
“Did he mean that I could go away—free, Hartley?”
“Are you here yet?” grinned Hashknife.
Allison took a deep breath and started toward the corral, but after a few strides he stopped and looked at Hashknife.
“Kinda queer, ain’t it?” he whispered foolishly. “I—I want to run, but I’m scared to do it.”
“You don’t have to run,” said Hashknife.
“I know it.” He smiled queerly. “I don’t have to—but I can’t hardly help myself.” He brushed the back of his hand across his cheek. ‘I want to say somethin’ to you—but I can’t, it seems like. I—you know, don’tcha, Hartley?”
“Yeah, I know, Allison.”
The freed rustler nodded, turned and walked slowly to the corral, as if trying desperately to hold himself in check. Hashknife smiled thoughtfully and looked at Molly and Jack. The girl’s eyes were filled with tears, but she was smiling at Hashknife, a smile that repaid him for everything he had done.
“Everything is all right—thank you,” she said softly.
“It always was all right,” nodded Hashknife. “Sometimes it takes us quite a while to find it out—but it’s worth more then.”
Marsh Hartwell came to Hashknife. There were tears in the big man’s eyes, and his hand trembled slightly as he held it out to the tall cowboy and said hoarsely:
“Hartley, I just want to say that Marsh Hartwell and Lo Lo Valley owes you a mighty big debt. We’re goin’ to pull off a big meetin’ at the Arrow, just as soon as we can notify those on the dead-line, and if there’s anythin’ in Lo Lo Valley that you and your pardner want, you sure can have it.”
Hashknife shooks hands gravely with him and turned to Sleepy.
“Cowboy, this is our chance. Is there anythin’ yuh want real bad?”
“Yeah, there is.’” Sleepy scratched his ear. “I want a chance to sleep. This is the dangest hoot-owl country I ever got into. And I’ve got to have a package of tobacco. Thassall, I reckon. Now what do you want, Hashknife?”
“Me?” Hashknife smiled widely. “Well, I’d kinda like to see the expression on Mrs. Marsh Hartwell’s face when she sees her two kids comin’ home with their dads, and finds out that everythin’ is all right. That’ll be all I want.”
Hashknife turned away and looked out beyond the corral, where Abe Allison was riding up the slope of a hill. He drew rein and waved his sombrero in a sweeping arc. Hashknife threw up his right hand in a peace sign. Sudden Smithy, who was superintending the moving of the wounded, looked up and waved at Allison as if it was the departure of an old friend.
The menace of Kiopo Pass was gone forever; all dead-lines wiped out. Sunshine Gallagher straightened up and took a deep breath.
“I knowed it would work out like this,” he said wisely.
“Some day,” said Sudden severely, “you’ll git caught lyin’.”