"A false charge?" The sheriff looked at her searchingly.
"Yes." Harry colored under his keen inspection. "Chris Garnett, the deputy sheriff for this county, found my brother riding a horse that Garnett claimed as his. As Rob refused to tell him where he got it, Garnett took him to jail. But he admits now that he doesn't think Rob stole his horse. Rob could come home if he wanted to, but he's waiting over there to see Judge Raeburn and explain the whole matter to him."
"H'm! Well, maybe you can tell me where your brother got that horse."
"No, I can't. It was in the bunch of colts that a fellow named Jones brought in here, but I don't know where they came from."
"What were they doing here?"
"The colts? Why, Jones and Rob had some sort of a partnership in them. They broke them together, and Jones drove them out and sold them, I guess, for he had taken more than half of them when he disappeared about a week ago. We haven't any idea where he went, or whether he came up and took the rest of the horses without telling Rob."
"I see. And Garnett? Where's he at?"
"Gone to find Jones and see what he can get out of him."
Mason laughed. "Well, I'll be going on. You say your brother is staying over in Hailey to talk things over with Judge Raeburn? Court opens in Hailey to-day; so your brother ought to get back here to-morrow. I'm on my way to Soldier and I'll stop over here on my way back—in a couple of days or so."