Della studied this for a while. She was no fool.
“Out to the ranch, eh? And to talk things over. That’s great. But why talk it over? He knows my price.”
“I’m only tellin’ yuh what he said to tell yuh.”
“And what else did he say, which he didn’t ask you to tell me?”
Butch rolled and lighted a cigarette.
“I’m beginnin’ to think that Marsh is a fool,” he said slowly. “I used to think he was wise, but he’s over-played his hand. This whole deal was worked wrong, the way I look at it. No one man can whip a whole valley, unless he’s got his scheme worked out to where it can’t slip. Blaze Nolan was his ace-in-the-hole, and he turned out to be a deuce—for Marsh.
“That’s where Marsh slipped. And he’s been gettin’ tangled worse all the time. Somebody from this valley heard what Marsh told Nolan that night in Los Angeles. That’s what ruined the whole works. Since then, Marsh has stacked one mistake on top of another.”
“Are you gettin’ scared, Butch?” asked Della.
“Jist to-night. I’ve got a hunch that somethin’ is breakin’ bad. I don’t know where it is, sister; but my hunch tells me⸺”
“And I’m supposed to talk prices with him to-morrow, eh?” interrupted Della.