The crowd stepped aside and let them go. No one said anything. Possibly
the men were so shocked over what had happened that night that they
didn’t know what to say.
Hashknife and Sleepy went to the hotel and got their war-bags, mounted
their horses, and rode southward out of Red Arrow. Some one called to
them from the sheriff’s office, but they did not heed. Their work was
over, and nothing remained to be done.
“It shore feels good to have a _horse_ between yore legs again, Sleepy,”
said Hashknife. “That Half-Box R bay was all right, but nothin’ like
Ghost. It’s funny what a simple horse trade will lead to. Kid Glover’s
bay picks up a sharp rock, and from there she rolls bigger and bigger,
like a snowball rollin’ down a hill. But it was all right, pardner.
We’ll get to Arizona before snow flies in this country. Things like this
kinda break the monotony, don’tcha know it?”
“There was five thousand dollars reward,” reminded Sleepy.
“Yeah, there was. And it’ll be a good thing for Slim and Lila to start
housekeepin’ on.”
“Yeah, that’s true, Hashknife. It was plenty fun, but not a bit
remunerative.”
“It ain’t what yuh get, Sleepy; it’s what yuh learn.”
“What in hell didja learn?”
“I learned that when an old jigger like Rance McCoy gives his word, it
makes blood a sight thinner than water.”
“Shore; but what good will that ever do you?”
“It builds up my faith in humanity.”
“Anyway, we got yore horse, Hashknife; and that’s what we went after.”
“Which is all anybody could ask, pardner.”
And they rode on toward Arizona--satisfied--while back in Red Arrow the
people wondered where they had gone. Butch Reimer returned the money,
and the judge gave him few enough years for his crime. Kid Glover paid
the penalty of his murders, while Langley, Fohl, and One-Eye Connell
served short terms.
Rance McCoy got his money back which DuMond stole that night, and later
he sold the Eagle for enough to pay him back the money he had lost on a
crooked deal. Slim Caldwell resigned his office when he married Lila
McCoy, and went into business with the Circle Spade, where Chuckwalla
still putters around the kitchen, testing out new recipes from a cook
book, which had been sent him from Arizona.
There was no mark on it to show who sent it, except on the cover, where
a crudely drawn hashknife gave them a clue to the donor. Lila tore off
the cover and had it framed; and it hangs over the fireplace of the
Circle Spade ranch-house.
Chuck Ring is sheriff now, wishing for something to happen again. And
somewhere under the sun, heading toward the next hill, ride Hashknife
and Sleepy, looking into the future with a smile--following the dim
trails.
THE END