“Hello, there, youngsters!” Gale’s uncle came forward and at his heels came Sheriff Colman.
“What’s up, Dad?” Tom asked anxiously.
The Sheriff looked a bit sheepish and Mr. Wilson frowned in annoyance.
“It’s the--rustlers,” the Sheriff said finally. “They’ve escaped--vamoosed!”
“Gone?” Valerie asked incredibly. “But how----”
“We locked ’em in the bunkhouse last night; when we came to the bunkhouse--they were gone.”
“The three of them?” Virginia asked.
Mr. Wilson nodded. “We think they are hiding somewhere around the ranch. They couldn’t have gone far.”
Carol cocked a speculative eye in the direction of Gale and Valerie. “I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes with the three of them loose.”
“You’re cheerful,” Gale told her.