“Joe Marino! The man Gus rode with!” Mrs. Manley shook her head sadly. “I’m very sorry. I was afraid he would cause trouble of some sort after your father discharged him. But are you sure?”
“I am!” Teddy exclaimed decidedly. “He came back last night, Mother. I met him.” Wisely, the boy did not tell of his fight with the man. “I told him to stay away from here, and, as I remember now, he was near the corral when I caught him! He must have sneaked into dad’s office, taken the money, and then he got the pony out. So-o-o that’s what he meant when he said his job here was finished!” Teddy brought a fist down sharply into his open palm. “And I had him in my hands! If I only had that chance over again, I’d certainly make the most of it! Wonder how far away he is by now? Maybe we could—”
“Cool off,” Roy advised. “No use to beef about a thing that’s already happened. The thing to do is to find Joe Marino.”
“Are you certain it was he?” Mrs. Manley asked.
“We sure are!” came from Teddy. “How about it, Roy? Wouldn’t you bet your bottom dollar that The Pup did this?”
Both his mother and Teddy waited for the reply. They had confidence that Roy would not go off “half cocked,” a trait which Teddy had in full measure. Besides this, with Mr. Manley gone, the mother and younger brother leaned toward Roy as the natural head of the family.
“Marino,” Roy said slowly, “is the thief, or I’m a ring-tailed doodle bird.”
“And there’s no two ways about it!” Teddy added. “Come on, Roy—we’ll go get him! He’s got a payroll and a horse of ours!”
“But, boys—” Mrs. Manley began, when Roy threw an arm affectionately over her shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Mom,” he interjected. “Dad told us to stick, and stick we do until he sends for us, payroll or no payroll. Teddy, you fly off the handle too fast. You know what the orders were.”