As Roy looked up, he saw his father running toward him.
“All right, Dad,� the boy called cheerfully. “I’ve quite a story to tell! No, I’m not hurt. Just got a nick in the ear. Did you find the flivver?�
“Roy!â€� Mr. Manley exclaimed. “Son, I’m glad you’re back! Your mother’s been awful worried—an’ so have I! What happened?â€�
“Well, I found Froud, for one thing. But wait till I get a drink and some food in me, and I’ll tell you all about it.�
CHAPTER XX
THE DECISION
Roy’s breakfast was flavored with the tale of his moonlight ride to Harver’s Gully. Between bites he told the story of his meeting with Froud and of the rustler’s strange insistence that he did not know Checkered Shirt.
“You say Froud wasn’t riding one of our horses?� Teddy asked.
“No. He was sitting on a bronc I never saw before. One of his own, or maybe one he rustled from another outfit. Somehow, he seemed puzzled after he had me covered, as if he didn’t know what to do with me. Took him a mighty long time to decide to bring me to Harver’s Gully.�
Neither Mr. Manley nor Teddy had yet taken to their beds, having reached the X Bar X but an hour before Roy. All night they had spent in looking for the missing youth, and at last they had decided he might have returned home. They were about to start on another search when Roy rode into the yard.
“Say, Dad, did you find that flivver?� Roy asked, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied sigh. A strip of adhesive tape marked the spot where the bullet had torn his ear.