“Yes. Spade Hollister was my sweetheart.”
“And, by ----, Murtch and Williams killed him!” yelled Chet. “I seen ’em
together, and me and Wooden-shoe heard the shot!”
“Murtch killed him!” screamed Williams, “I----”
Williams’ confession, or accusation, was cut short. Murtch had whirled
sidewise and fired his six-shooter so close to Williams’ side that the
report was only a jarring thud.
As Williams fell, Murtch whirled on the crowd like a cornered wolf,
but Leather’s gun was spouting lead into him and he went down cursing
thickly.
“Good boy!” yelled King Cole. “He’d ’a’ killed like a coyote with the
rabies. God! What a mess!”
The room was in an uproar. Doctor Chisholm lifted Williams’ head and
Leather crowded in close. Williams was conscious, but evidently knew
that he was passing fast. He sneered at Leather and spat a curse.
“Open my safe,” he croaked to the doctor. “Key’s in my pocket. Quick.”
The doctor took out the key and opened the safe.
“The package with the rubber band,” croaked Williams.
He slipped the band loose and peered at the papers wonderingly. What he
looked for was not there.
“Look in the safe!” he panted. “Find--paper.”
“She’s plumb empty, Williams,” said the judge.
“Empty?” Williams nodded weakly and peered up at Leather. “I guess you
win, Kleig. I might as well tell it all. Miss Cleveland is a honkatonk
actress and we got her to play this part.
“Hollister was stuck on her, ---- him! He found out something and came
here to ask for his share and to see that she wasn’t harmed. I guess
he killed Clay Hardy. He demanded five thousand dollars, or would tell
that it was a crooked deal. Murtch shot him.
“Murtch had Clay frame it to kill Hollister in that poker game, but you
spoiled that. We were going to buy the NR from--her--for--one--dollar.”
Williams laughed chokingly.
“You know what ruined our scheme, Kleig. Too--many--crooks.”
He rolled sidewise and his head pillowed on his arm.
“It’s a good thing we ain’t got nothin’ to arrest,” said Wooden-shoe
foolishly. “We ain’t got no sheriff nor lawyer. What do yuh reckon he
was lookin’ for in the safe?”
“I’ll take char-r-rge now,” said the doctor wearily. “And I per-r-rsume
there won’t be any inquest.”
The crowd moved back to the street. Ma Coogan was trying to “mother”
Miss Cleveland, or rather the one who had been Miss Cleveland, and get
acquainted with the real Miss Cleveland at the same time.
Leather Kleig drew King Cole aside and they walked down the street
together, while the other three cowboys went to the livery-stable to
arrange transportation back to the ranch for the women. When King
Cole and Leather came back, the two-seated spring-wagon had drawn up
to the sidewalk, with Chet driving.
Leather motioned to him to get down, and then spoke directly to the new
owner of the NR.
“Like I told yuh before, ma’am, the ranch ain’t nothin’ for a lady to
run. Mister Cole kinda wants to buy the place, as soon as the papers
can be fixed up, and he offers a good price.
“Yuh better just stay here at the hotel until it is all fixed up, which
will take a week or so. Ma will stay with yuh, of course.”
He turned and put a hand on Ma’s shoulder.
“Yo’re fixed for life, Ma. Miss Cleveland insists that yuh take the
money from the sale of the ranch and live easy the rest of yore life.”
“But--but--” spluttered Ma Coogan, bewildered.
“That is true,” replied the young lady. “I feel that it should belong to
you.”
“Hurrah f’r our side!” blurted Wooden-shoe.
“Sure, and what will become of you boys?” asked Ma Coogan anxiously.
“Isn’t there money enough----”
“We’ve got jobs down in the lower end of the valley,” assured Leather,
“and we’ll see yuh once in a while.”
* * * * *
It was two hours later that the four cowboys rode away from the NR
ranch. They had gone back to get their belongings, and each man had a
bulging war-sack tied behind the cantle of his saddle.
“Now will yuh tell us where we’re goin’?” asked Wheezer, as they halted
at the top of a hog-back ridge and looked back at the old ranch-house.
Leather laughed softly and looped one leg around his saddle-horn while
he rolled a cigaret.
“I was suspicious of Williams,” he said slowly. “He was too ----
interested, don’tcha know it? They wanted all of us off the place. I
smelled a crooked deal.
“Then when they tried to kill Hollister, I knowed he was mixed up in
it. Well, I wasn’t so danged sure about any will bein’ made out, so
I out-smarted old Williams, knocked him on the head, opened his safe
and put the key back in his pocket.
“That will was what he was lookin’ for in that bundle of papers. I dunno
what he ever saved it for, ’cause that was what cinched the deadwood on
to him. I slipped out of town and headed for Keogh. I didn’t know what
luck I was goin’ to have, but----”
“Hold on,” interrupted Wheezer. “Do yuh mean to say that yuh got the
will that old Nick made out?”
“Yeah--sure.” Leather scratched a match and lighted his cigaret. “Their
will was a forgery.”
“Then why didn’t yuh jist show the will and----”
“Nope,” Leather inhaled deeply and shook his head. “I’ll show yuh why.”
He took a legal-looking document from inside his shirt and opened it.
“This is the will that Ma Coogan witnessed. It gives the whole ---- NR
ranch to us four fellers.”
“To us!” blurted Chet. “Whatcha mean?”
“That’s what the will says, Chet. Us four fellers owned every danged
stick and stone on the NR.”
“Well, but--goshdang it, talk can’t yuh?” croaked Wooden-shoe. “Where
does this Miss Cleveland come in?”
“Her name wasn’t Cleveland--not mine wasn’t. Her name was Hollister
once. Spade Hollister was her husband. He mistreated her awful, and
I danged near killed him for it. Now, she’s married to a good feller
and they’re doin’ fine. She’s my sister.”
“Oh, my gosh!” exploded Wheezer. “And you got her to--I getcha,
Leather.”
“Yeah,” nodded Leather. “I knowed how yuh all felt about Ma Coogan,
and that’s the only way I could figure to fix her up for life. And her
money’ll be clean, too.
“I told the whole thing to King Cole, and gave him a list of what we
stole for the NR. He’s goin’ to tell these different outfits and see
that they take back their stock and keep still about it.
“And he’s goin’ to pay Ma a good price for the NR and what honestly
belongs there. My sister will see that it is all done on the level.”