"Yes," said Matt. "Don't it beat anything you ever heard of, Clip? Bascomb is Rags' father! No wonder he was in a hurry to get here. José, the Mexican that was with Juan Morisco when the team ran away, found Bascomb in the hills and told him of the accident. After I fell in with Bascomb he started to asking me about Rags. I'd no sooner told how badly hurt she was, when he got in the biggest kind of a hurry to reach Phœnix."
"We certainly got here on the jump," said Clip. "If you want to get speed out of a motor, put Motor Matt in charge."
"Didn't Rags tell you anything about herself?" asked Matt.
"Not a word," said Chub.
"And she can't get well?"
Susie shook her head.
"Who's her father, anyhow?" spoke up Welcome.
"Joe Bascomb," answered Matt. "He's one of the Dangerfield gang."
"You been mixin' up with that gang, Matt King?" went on Welcome.
"You bet he has," said Clip. "Matt's done a lot of mixing. Pretty hot, some of it."