“Was Dale sore at yuh, when he quit?”
Malvene shook his head.
“Don’t look like he was, does it? Man don’t usually lose his life
defending the property of a man he dislikes.”
“No,” admitted Brick. “No, he wouldn’t do that. I’m wonderin’ if it was
the same two fellers who held up Romeo.”
“That was a joke,” laughed Malvene. “You can’t make anything else out of
it.”
“Can’tcha?”
Brick was very thoughtful. Malvene squinted at him, but Brick turned and
looked out of the door where two men, Buck Pelham and Silent Slade, were
dismounting. They jingled their spurs across the threshold and Pelham
went straight to Brick and held out his hand.
“Missed yuh, sheriff. Suppose you’ve heard about things.”
Brick nodded.
“What there is to know—so far, Buck.”
Buck Pelham was a big, bluff sort of a person, blunt of speech but well
liked.
Brick looked at Silent, who was busily engaged in reading an old
stage-schedule on the wall, but now he looked at Brick guiltily and took
a ring of keys from his pocket.
“Locked up the —— hermitage, and here’s yore keys.”
“Who told yuh to leave the office?” demanded Brick.
“Don’tcha try to boss me, Brick Davidson!” Silent was very emphatic, “I
won’t stand for it, I tell yuh. Lemme stay in the open and I’m val’able,
but I ain’t worth a dang inside four walls. Marlin City is as calm as a
horse-trough, and I’ll be —— if I stay there and let you mockin’-birds
have all the fun. Don’tcha ride me, Brick!”
“Glad yuh came, Silent,” said Brick seriously and turned back to Pelham,
leaving Silent open-mouthed with surprize. He had expected to go back to
the office.
“Got any idea who might do the job, Buck?” asked Brick.
“Not any. Maybe Buzzard Bailey can tell us more when he gets back
tomorrow, but he was likely too scared to remember what they looked
like.”
“Kinda like Romeo Kendall,” suggested Harp.