IN THE NIGHT
Rathburn avoided the Red Feather resort during the morning. Instead of
walking about the streets or sitting in the hotel lobby or his room,
he cultivated the acquaintance of the barn man, and because he knew
horses--_all_ about horses--he soon had the man's attention and
respect.
Although Rathburn suspected that he already had a reputation in the
town, he did not know that Carlisle was steadily adding to that
reputation through the medium of veiled hints dropped here and there
until a majority of the population was convinced that a desperate man
was in their midst, and that Mannix had permitted him to go free for
certain secret reasons.
Thus a web of mystery and suspicion was cleverly woven about
Rathburn's movements.
It was not until afternoon, however, that Rathburn began to realize on
his intimacy with the barn man. Then they began to talk of trails, and
for more than an hour the barn man, caught in the spell of Rathburn's
personality, divulged the secret of the trails leading to and from the
Dixie Queen.
"The best trail, an' the straightest, if you should ever want to go up
there an' look at the mine like you say," said the barn man, "hits
into the timber behind the first cabin to the left above town."
Rathburn nodded smilingly. It was the cabin where he had first seen
the girl.
"It's 'bout twenty-nine miles to the mine by the road," the man
explained; "but that trail will take you there in less'n twenty. Well,
maybe twenty or twenty-one. Or you can go up the road till you get to
the big hogback--that's where they held up the truck driver
yesterday--and cut straight up the hill from the south end."
"I guess those are the best trails from what you say," was Rathburn's
yawning comment.
"Them's the best," the other added. "There's another trail going out
below town that follows southeast along a big ridge, but that trail's
as far as the road. When you goin' up?"
"I dunno," replied Rathburn noncommittally. "Say, I guess I know where
that cabin is on the left side of the road going up. I stopped at a
cabin up there coming down an' asked a gal how far it was to
town----"
"That's it," said the barn man. "That's the one. Trail starts right
back of that cabin."
Rathburn yawned again. "Smart-lookin' gal," he observed, digging for
his tobacco and papers. "Who is she?"
"That's Joe Carlisle's sister. Anyway, he says she is. There's been
some talk. Carlisle lives there when he ain't out in the hills or on a
gamblin' trip to some other town."
"I see. Well, old-timer, I ain't hung on the feed bag since morning,
an' I'm going on a still hunt for some grub."
Rathburn went to the Red Feather for his dinner. He was thoughtful
through the meal and kept an eye out for Carlisle, but didn't see him.
During the remainder of the afternoon he hung about the Red Feather
and other resorts, but did not see Carlisle.
That evening, as he was returning to the hotel, he met Mannix. The
deputy looked at him with a scowl in which there was a mixture of
curiosity. Rathburn suddenly remembered what Sautee had said about his
company being on the outs with the county administration. If such was
the case, Rathburn reflected, how did it come that Sautee had been
able to effect his release so easily?
He stopped as he drew alongside of the deputy. "This man Sautee," he
drawled, looking Mannix square in the eye; "he must have a good drag
with the county seat, eh?"
The deputy's scowl deepened. "He didn't get you out by word of
mouth alone," he said sharply. "I haven't got anything on you,
Rathburn--yet."
Rathburn smiled. "I reckon you're a sheriff after my own heart," he
said enigmatically, and moved on.
Mannix looked back after him for a moment, then continued on his way.
Rathburn had dinner that night at the hotel, and it was during the
course of a number of pleasantries with the waitress, who thought he
was looking for work, that he ascertained that Sautee had a little
two-room building at the lower end of the street, the front half of
which served as an office and the rear half as living quarters.
At nine o'clock he went to his room. He lighted the oil lamp, pulled
down the window shade, sat down in a chair to one side of the door to
wait. An hour passed with no sound save occasional footfalls in the
hall and the drone of the wind in the trees outside.
Another hour had nearly been consumed in waiting when Rathburn heard
some one coming up the stairs. The footfalls were soft, catlike. He
could hardly hear them, and it was this fact which made him instantly
alert. The footfalls now sounded in the hallway. They were nearer his
room. He rose; stepped close to the side of the door. Then came a
soft knock.
Rathburn suddenly opened the door, and Sautee started back, blinking
his eyes. The mines manager peered about the room, then entered
swiftly.
"You rather startled me," he accused with a forced smile.
Rathburn closed the door softly and turned the key in the lock.
"I'm just taking natural precautions," he explained.
Sautee shook his head and put a finger to his lips. "Not so loud," he
warned. "These walls"--he waved a hand about--"are all ears."
He took a package from beneath his coat and handed it to Rathburn.
"Put it in your shirt," he instructed. "Deliver it to the office at
the mine and take the bookkeeper's receipt. Then report to my office
here in town. I wish you luck, and I want you to know that I have the
utmost confidence in you."
"You keep such large sums on hand all the time?" Rathburn asked,
putting the package in his shirt. He was mindful of the fact that a
similar sum had been stolen the day before from the truck driver.
"There's a private bank here," answered Sautee frowningly. "He let me
have it, but he's already sent to the county seat for more cash which
will come by auto express to-morrow, probably. Anyway, the bank'll get
most of this back, so their cash won't be short long."
Rathburn nodded. "Let's see," he suggested. "There was a little item
of five hundred between us for my serving--am I right?"
"There is such an item," snapped out Sautee; "when you've delivered."
"Of course," replied Rathburn. "I couldn't expect to be paid in
advance. I'm to deliver the money at the mine and report to you for
the five hundred."
"Exactly," said Sautee. "Which way you figure on going up?" he asked
curiously.
"Don't know much about the trails," Rathburn answered. "An' it
mightn't attract suspicion if I just struck right out on the road."
Sautee shrugged. "Well, that's up to you," he said. "Keep your eye
peeled. I don't think any one knows I drew that money from the bank,
but I didn't think any one knew I stuck that package under the truck
driver's seat, either."
He turned toward the door.
"There's just one other little matter," said Rathburn softly. "You see
nobody knows anything about this deal but you an' me. Maybe it would
be best for my own protection that you scribbled something on a piece
of paper to show what our arrangement is."
Sautee scowled again, hesitated, then smiled. He drew an envelope from
a pocket, extracted its contents, tore it open at each end, and wrote
on the blank side:
Due Rathburn five hundred dollars when he has delivered package
intrusted to him by me at the Dixie Queen mine office.
GEORGE SAUTEE.
Rathburn nodded in satisfaction as he took the slip of paper and
tucked it into his shirt pocket. The wording of the note was a bit
complicated, but it bore Sautee's signature. It was at least evidence
that there _had_ been an agreement.
"Everything set?" asked Sautee.
"All cinched up an' ready to go," replied Rathburn.
"How soon you going to start?" asked Sautee as he unlocked the door.
"By midnight," Rathburn answered.
Sautee held out his hand before he slipped out of the door and was
gone.
Rathburn quickly busied himself with his slicker pack. He took out a
gun which he changed for the gun in his holster. Then he stuck his
regular gun into his waistband on the left. He took out the package
and examined it. It was sealed at each end. Then Rathburn did a queer
thing. He cut the string and paper near the seals and removed the
small box within. He next emptied the box of its paper-wrapped
contents and substituted the first thing of equal weight which he
could lay his hands on--a moleskin glove which was among the things in
the slicker pack. He replaced the box in its wrappings and drew from
one of his pockets a small bottle of glue.
"First time I ever stole anything from a hotel desk," he muttered to
himself as he glued the paper back into place; "but I sure had the
proper hunch when I grabbed this."
Next he retied the string, adding a piece from his slicker pack to
offset the shortness where it had been cut. When he had finished the
package looked exactly as it had in the first place. It would take a
close inspection to learn that it had been tampered with. The original
contents of the package he thrust into his hat and pulled the hat well
down on his head.
Then he extinguished the light and made his way downstairs and out the
lobby into the street. He went quickly around to the barn where he
astonished the man in charge by saddling his horse and riding out
without a word of explanation other than to toss him a five-dollar
bill from the saddle.
"See you again to-morrow--maybe," he called, grinning, as he rode into
the night.
When Rathburn had passed behind the hotel and several other buildings
on the same side of the street and gained the road leading westward
toward the hogback, a slim shadow darted out of the trees, mounted a
horse concealed some distance behind the barn, and slipped into a worn
trail which nearly paralleled the road going west.