"All five of 'em would."
"Five, huh? Don't you think that's a good many folks to have on hand
so providentially, a night like last night? Raining and blowing for
Gawd's sake, remember? You don't want to override this thing--whatever
it is."
Felix Craft laughed sardonically. "We won't. Don't you worry any
about that, Bill. We've thought it out pretty average careful."
"That's good. I'd be sorry to see you fellers make any mistakes.
Go'n, Tippy, old settler. You've got to where me and my gallant steed
are a-skulking in the underbrush with half the town watching us like
lynxes. What did I do next?"
"You haven't done it yet. And whether you do it or not all depends on
yourself. If you stay stubborn, then this afternoon you'll hold up the
Hillsville stage."
"Don't lemme forget myself too much. Will I wear a mask?"
"Naturally--and your horse will be seen, your red-and-white pinto that
everybody knows. It's something like the trick you worked on Driver
and Slike. We listened very careful to your testimony at the hearing.
We're grateful to you for the idea, Bill."
Bill tossed away all credit with a wave of his hand. "Oh, you clever
fellers would have thought of something just as good. Trust you.
Next."
"Everybody on the stage will be able to swear to your clothes and your
horse and your guns. One of your guns has a brass guard. That gun
especially will be remembered."
"You do think of everything," Bill said in admiration. "But does it
sound natural that I'd be using my horse, especially such a
conspicuous-lookin' horse as that red-and-white pinto, right where
everybody in the stage could see him? Even if I am crazy enough to
hold up the stage, you've gotta give me credit for a li'l sense."
"I said there wouldn't be any coarse work," averred Tip. "Your horse
will be tied in a li'l patch of woods put of sight of the stage, but
just about the time you're lining the passengers up on the trail, your
horse will bust out of the li'l patch of woods and show himself plain
for everybody to take a look at."
"Somebody will have to drive him out. Suppose _he's_ seen, too?"
Tip shook a lazy head. "Not him. He won't be seen. It will all look
mighty natural like an accident. Somethin' scared the horse, that's
all."
"After I've robbed the stage what do I do?"
"There you have me," confessed Tip. "I don't know what you'll do. You
might ride away and keep going for several weeks. That would be the
sensible thing to do."
"Or I can ride back to Golden Bar and be arrested by my own deputies
for stage robbery. I don't suppose anybody would believe it if I said
I was kidnapped."
Tip smiled slightly. "They might. You never can tell what people
would believe."
Billy drew his knees up to the level of his chin and hugged them.
"No," he drawled, "too fishy. Folks don't kidnap folks nowadays--only
in books. Shucks, I'll bet you fellers were counting on just that
particular snag in human nature. Looks like you've got me, don't it?"