The Falcon continued:
“Falcon the Flunky is absolutely innocent, and so is Halfaman Daisy. The Falcon can prove that for him to be connected with the holdup is an absurdity. Below this note of mine you will find one from him, to a Mr. Winston, in Los Angeles, chief engineer for the Gold Belt Cut-off. Take it to him, and he will confirm what The Falcon says.
“Then when you signal us that this has been done, and that everything is all right again, we’ll come from hiding. If everything is all right, hoist a red blanket at noon to-morrow from the big cottonwood in the corral at Squawtooth, and we’ll trust you and come out. If that is too soon for you, make it next day at noon, or the next. Every day at noon we’ll be watching.
“Show this letter to Mart, pa. Don’t fail to do that, because we want him to ride to Opaco and see Halfaman Daisy to tell him he won’t have to be in jail long, and that his teams are probably all right. This is part and parcel of our conditions, this last. You can cut the paper in two between my part and Falcon the Flunky’s part and give my note to Mart.
“Don’t worry about me, pa, dear. I’m having a perfectly lovely time, and I’m so happy. Love to Mart and Mrs. Ehrhart and—I would fill the paper if I were to continue, so hog the rest of it for yourself.
Devotedly Manzanita.”
“All right?” she asked. “If so, write yours to Mr. Winston beneath it.”
Accordingly, he took her stub pencil and wrote the following, leaving an inch space between it and her communication at her direction:
Mr. Charles E. Winston, Chief Engineer’s Office,
The Gold Belt Cut-off Bldg., Los Angeles, California.
My Dear Mr. Winston: I find myself in a rather difficult situation, and am writing this to ask you to make an effort to set me straight, if you can do so without telling all that you know about me.