There came an ominous murmur from the “boys” that caused the prisoner to look up at them quickly and then down again at his shuffling feet.
Lightly tried to interfere, but Garry silenced him sharply.
“You hankering to be in this lynching party, too?” he inquired, adding gratingly: “Because if you are not, I’d advise you to keep your mouth tight shut!”
It was not long before the captive yielded to the insistence of that revolver muzzle pressed beneath his fifth rib and made a clean breast of the whole ugly business. Possibly the invitation to the lynching party had something to do with his surrender.
As he stutteringly and sullenly revealed the plot which would have forced Garry to the sale of his lands to insure the safety of his fiancée’s brother, Garry jotted down the complete confession in his notebook and at the conclusion forced both his prisoners at the point of his revolver to sign the document.
Then Garry turned to two of the cowboys, who had been looking on with appreciative grins.
“Here, Steve, and you, Gay, take these two worms to town and see that they are put where they belong,” he ordered, and the two boys leaped to the task eagerly. “You others go help the boys round up the rest of the gentlemen mentioned in this valuable document,” and he tapped the confession with a cheerful grin. “So long, you fellows!”
They waved their hats at him, wheeled their ponies joyfully, and were off to do his bidding.
Then it was that Garry came toward Dorothy, his arms outstretched. It is doubtful if at that moment he even saw Joe and Tavia standing there.
Dorothy took a step toward him and suddenly the whole world seemed to rock and whirl about her. She flung out her hand and grasped nothing but air. Then down, down into fathomless space and nothingness!