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 pa.s.sed 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 n.o.body 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 subst.i.tuted 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 pa.s.sed 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.

CHAPTER XIX

QUICK TURNS

As he rode westward along the road at a swinging lope, Rathburn made no apparent effort to conceal his movements. The night sky was bright with stars, and, although the moon was not up, the road was clearly outlined through the marching stands of timber as he swung upward past the cabin where he had met the girl said to be Carlisle's sister.

Rathburn could not forget the look on the girl's face when she had asked him about the activities of the officer in the automobile. Nor could he forget the expression in her eyes during her altercation with Carlisle that day.

After he had pa.s.sed the cabin, Rathburn checked his pace and proceeded more slowly up the long stretches of road to the hogback. On the hogback he began to take advantage of the screen of timber on the lower side of the road, and to ride more cautiously. However, to any one who might have been watching, his movements still would have been easily discernible, and it would have appeared that he wasn't quite sure of himself. Twice he turned off at what he appeared to think was the beginning of a trail, and both times he again turned back to the road.

Then, as he reached the south end of the hogback where the trail left the road and cut straight across to the mine, two hors.e.m.e.n broke from the timber, and Rathburn reined in his horse as the guns which covered him glinted.

The taller of the pair of night riders kept him covered with two guns while the other rode in close and jerked the weapon from his holster.