“I took it away from this man. He was hiding out there behind a pile of bones. I reckon he was trying to get away when his horse went lame and the daylight caught him.”
“‘You go back to your quarters.’”
“What has he to say for himself?”
“It’s a —— lie!” growled the stranger. “I was riding in to ask for a job, an’ I hadn’t more’n set down to rest—”
“You ride by night, eh?”
“Well—” the stranger hesitated—“not gen’ally. But I was so near—”
“Here, here!” cried Old Van. “What’s all this talk about? I guess you know what to do with him. Get about it.”
“What do you mean by that?” cried Young Van, flushing.
“What do I mean by it? What is generally done with horse thieves?”