And the
first item of expense was the purchase from Engle himself of a fine
saddle-animal, a pure-blooded, clean-limbed young mare, sister to
Persis. After which the Mexican spent a great deal of his time riding
about the country, looking at ranches. He visited Engle's two places,
called upon Norton at Las Flores, ferreting out prices, looking at
water and feed, examining soil.
It was a bare fortnight after the coming of del Rio when out of Las
Palmas came word of fresh lawlessness. The superintendent of the three
Quigley mines had been surprised the night before pay-day, forced at
the point of a revolver to open his own safe, and robbed of several
thousand dollars. A man on horseback rushed word to San Juan, found
Tom Cutter, who located Norton the same afternoon at his ranch at Las
Flores.
"Rod, old man," cried Cutter angrily, "this damned thing has got to
stop! You haven't a much better friend than I am, I guess, and I'm
telling you straight that the whole county is getting sore on you.
They will talk more than ever now, saying that it's up to you to get
results and that you don't get them."
"The stick-up was last night?" asked the sheriff coolly.
"Yes," snapped Cutter.
"You were in San Juan?"
"Yes."
"Where was Jim Galloway? Was he in town?"
"No, he wasn't.
Pages:
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209