And Jim Kelton was thinking the same thing as he sat on the shady veranda at the JK that day and mulled over what Jane had told him. His daughter had heard much which had been said to Blaze Nolan at the Triangle X, and he felt his hatred of Blaze oozing away to a certain extent. Either Blaze was still loyal to the cattlemen of Painted Valley, or he didn’t know where the Lost Trail was located.
Harry came up to see him, still dusty from a long ride.
“I saw Tommy Simpson to-day, dad. Sam Hawker went out to the Triangle X to have a talk with Kendall Marsh, but Marsh has left the valley. The bank refused to renew Sam’s mortgage, and I guess Sam went out there to argue it out with Marsh. Tommy said that the gang out there acted kinda meek and mild, and Terry Ione is goin’ around with his head all bandaged up.”
“What do you think of Jane’s story?” asked his father.
“It looks as though Blaze Nolan wasn’t so strong with Marsh. Jane was a little fool to go out there, and I feel like kickin’ myself for givin’ her the chance; but you know Jane. Dad, I think she’s fightin’ for a chance to help Blaze Nolan.”
“Women are queer critters, son. But I can’t believe that Nolan carried her all the way from the Triangle X to Medicine Tree, without knowin’ who she was. And if this other woman has lied about him and done all them things against him, why did he pick her up and take her to town?”
“Jane spoke about that. She said Nolan told her it was because she was a woman.”
The old man nodded slowly.
“Some men are queer critters, too.”
“Tommy says Hawker is goin’ to round up his stock and see if he can’t save a little out of the wreck. It’ll break old Sam, and he knows it, but he swears that Kendall Marsh will never get the O Bar B ranch as long as he lives. Marsh owns the bank, the War Dance Saloon and the Triangle X, and he’s got the rest of us under his thumb.”