“I was walking up on the hill about that time.”
“Alone?”
“Alone.”
Mrs. Huzzard groaned dismally, and Lyster caught ’Tana by the hand.
“’Tana! think what you are saying. You don’t realize how serious this is.”
“One more question,” and the man looked at her very steadily. “Were you not expecting this man to-night?”
“I sha’n’t answer any more of your questions,” she answered, coldly.
Lyster turned on the man with clenched hands and a face white with anger.
“How dare you insult her with such a question?” he asked, hoarsely. “How could it be possible for Miss Rivers to know this renegade horse-thief?”
“Well, I’ll tell you,” said the man, drawing a long breath and looking at the girl. “It ain’t a pleasant thing to do; but as we have no courts up here, we have to straighten out crimes in a camp the best way we can. My name is Saunders. That man over there is right—this is Lee Holly; and I am sure now that I saw him leave this cabin last night. I passed the cabin and heard voices—hers and a man’s. I heard her say: ‘While I can’t quite decide to kill you myself, I hope some one else will.’ The rest of their words were not so clear. I 288 told Overton when he came back, but the man was gone then. You ask me how I dare think she could tell something of this if she chose. Well, I can’t help it. She is wearing a ring I’ll swear I saw Lee Holly wear three years ago, at a card table in Seattle. I’ll swear it! And he is lying here dead in her room, with a knife sticking in him that she had possession of to-day. Now, gentlemen, what do you think of it yourselves?”