“Shore,” Bug Eye replied, and laboriously effected the correction. Roy watched him carefully. “Thanks, Roy. Guess that kind of slipped by me. How long you boys goin’ to stay with us?”
Teddy answered, and the conversation came to a close when Roy suggested that they were interrupting the puncher’s work. The two boys wandered back toward the ranch house. The moment they were out of hearing of Bug Eye, Teddy asked:
“Say, Roy, what was the big idea? You were watching that paper Bug Eye was writing on pretty closely. And rawhide doesn’t start with a capital R. How come?”
“Just a little plan of my own,” Roy replied vaguely. “That note, you know. Signed Reltsur. I thought maybe—”
“That Bug Eye wrote it?” Teddy inquired in an incredulous voice. “Well, for the love of Pete, what ever put that into your head? Bug Eye do a thing like that? Not on your life!”
“I know it now,” Roy said shortly. “I don’t know why I suspected him. Just one of those crazy ideas you get, I guess. That capital R seemed to stick in my mind. Come on, I think Belle and the two girls are around somewhere. Let’s go and see.”
Teddy shook his head slowly and followed his brother. What was getting into Roy? Thinking Bug Eye wrote that note! Why, Bug Eye didn’t ride slouched in the saddle! He forked a bronc like any other puncher in those parts.
Then, a few days before, Roy had mentioned seeing the slouched rider directly after the landslide when he was searching for Teddy. As though the strange puncher could have had anything to do with that slide! Yes, Roy was sure acting queer lately. As far as Teddy could see, there was no reason for immediate worry. Even if the rustlers were out of jail and determined on revenge, they might be forestalled by guarding the cattle well. True, his father had declared he thought the thieves might try other tactics. But, after all, what could they do? Suppose they had some real gunmen in their crowd? They would scarcely take to shooting a man in the back as he rode along.
The note had said the charge against the rustlers must not be pressed. Well, they were out of jail now, and, as Mr. Manley had said, what more did they want? Why should they bother to avenge themselves on men who had only protected their own cattle? It didn’t seem reasonable. Yet, Teddy thought, his father was worried. Perhaps he knew more than he had told. Teddy had never known his father to show worry unless there was good reason for it. If he went to town carrying a gun, a thing he had not done for years except the time he was actually running down the horse thieves, he must anticipate trouble of some sort.
Teddy shrugged his shoulders and gave up the problem.