‘Yeah,’ nodded the sheriff.
‘Didn’t see anythin’ of Pete Morgan?’
‘Nope. Did he intend goin’ over there?’
‘You heard about Pete and old man Lane havin’ a fight yesterday, didn’t yuh, Lem?’
Lem hadn’t. He listened to the details according to Dave Morgan, who had seen it all.
‘But that wouldn’t send Peter Morgan over to Lane’s place early this mornin’, would it?’ queried Lem. ‘Seems to me that he’d keep away. I understand that Lane has homesteaded that ranch.’
‘Well, he drew a deadline on the 6X6,’ laughed Dave. ‘If Joe Cave hadn’t acted real quick, Lane would have shot Pete.’
‘I suppose,’ said Spike thoughtfully, ‘it wouldn’t do me and Bert a damn bit of good to deny that we hit this young Morgan, would it, Lem?’
‘I dunno,’ smiled the sheriff. ‘It might, if you’d tell me why you and Bert were fightin’ each other out there.’
‘That was a mistake,’ said Bert quickly. ‘It was dark, and we didn’t recognize each other, Lem.’