"There ain't, eh?" he asked contemptuously. "Well, it's lucky I brought some of my own outfit with me."
"Mebbe you'll need them if you get too careless with your talk," answered the unruffled Sheriff.
Turning to Jack, Slim said: "This fool thing can be settled with one word from you."
The young ranchman listened to the Sheriff earnestly. He wished to clear himself forever of all suspicion. He did not want Echo ever to hear that there was a false impression abroad that she was the wife of a slayer. "What is it?" he asked simply.
"Why, you paid off a mortgage of an even three thousan' dollars last week, didn't you?"
"Yes, what has that to do with it?" he asked.
Buck broke in at this point. Here was the strongest card that he had in his hand, and the Sheriff had played it to McKee's advantage.
"Plenty," Buck shouted. "Old Terrill was shot and killed and robbed, an' the man who did it got just three thousan' dollars."
"An' you mean to say that the boss here—" began Sage-brush, in his anger making a rush at McKee. He was held back, but the disturbance attracted Echo and Mrs. Allen from the kitchen. Echo hurried to her husband's side. He slipped his arm about her waist, and together they faced his accuser.
"All you got to say is where did you get that money," cried Buck, who had seen Dick Lane pay it to Payson, and conjectured that Payson did not dare to reveal the fact of this payment, with all the disclosure it implied.