Sleepy picked the hat off the floor, where he had dropped it when he came in.
“We found it on the bridge. And that ain’t all we found.”
Sleepy dug down in his pocket, took out an object and handed it to Hashknife. It was a derringer, forty-one calibre, with a loaded cartridge still in the single barrel.
“It was down in the rut on the far side of the bridge,” said Sleepy at the doorway. “I’ll get the doctor right away.”
“Derringer, eh?”
Hashknife smiled weakly and shoved the derringer under his pillow.
CHAPTER XX: THE SHERIFF COMES
Nan’s ankle was pretty sore the next morning, but she insisted on dressing, and Len carried her out to breakfast. Sailor had already eaten his breakfast, and was down at the stable.
Len told her about the boys going out to look for Hashknife, and that he was anxious to find out whether anything serious had happened. Little Larry was down at the stable with Sailor, who was saddling a burro for him to ride. They could hear Larry’s high-pitched voice as he gave expert advice on the matter.
“He’s a lovable little fellow,” said Nan. “This ranch will be wonderful for him, Len.”