And Whallen went on to tell about the strange case of Steve Brown and the woman.
"Was he sure that was Steve Brown?" the drug clerk questioned.
"Reedy could n't say it was Brown for certain; he did n't get a right good view of his face. He said it looked like him. But he could see the woman plain."
"Why, sure that was Brown," said the owner of the horse. "I saw Pete Harding when I was up at the county-seat; and he came along with me to see them auction off the bunch of strays. This horse was one of them; that's why he's so thin. I asked Harding who had his job now, and he told me nobody had it because Brown was running the sheep himself."
"How did the woman come to be out there?"
"There was n't any woman out there when Pete left. I know Pete. Brown came out there to see how things were doing, and while he was there Pete remarked that sheep-life was getting pretty monotonous. So Brown told him to go away a while and give his mind a change. Pete did n't say anything about a woman."
"I guess Mr. Reedy did n't see very plain," remarked the drug clerk.
"See plain!" said Todd in disgust. "You don't listen plain."
"Then Harding did n't quit on his own hook?" queried Whallen.
"He did n't quit at all. He's going back in a few days if he gets through being drunk. He told me he had to get through before the lambs was born. He did n't know about any woman."