Nothing further happened that day at the Tombstone ranch. Everyone kept under cover for fear of another shot from the hills. Lonesome Lee asked no more questions. He seemed to be willing to let Hashknife engineer the whole thing.
It was about eleven o’clock the next morning when Mrs. Frosty Snow drove through the big gate and uprooted several of the tombstones in her mad haste.
Hashknife met her at the door, and she fairly exploded in her eagerness to tell the latest news.
“You fellers better hit the hills!” she panted. “You’re accused of kidnapin’ Lonesome Lee’s daughter and killin’ the old man, ’cause he tried to make you give her up!”
“Whatcha know about that?” Hashknife asked with a grunt.
“Shall I bring that girl up here?” asked Mrs. Snow. “It won’t take me——”
“No,” Hashknife shook his head. “Leave her stay where she is, Mrs. Snow. I kinda reckoned that somethin’ like this was due to happen, but it sort of makes me work faster. How soon do you reckon they’ll show up here?”
“Pretty soon. Jake Blue is organizin’ the whole thing, and he says he ain’t takin’ no chances on you gettin’ away. Goin’ to surround the place.”
“Jake’s got a lotta good ideas,” said Hashknife. “If he only turned his mind to honest endeavors he’d do well and last longer.”