“And you know yo’re a liar, Slim,” said Lonnie.
“Yeah, I know it,” agreed Slim.
“Might as well go home, I s’pose,” observed Nebrasky.
“Yeah, and right here and now I want to proclaim,” said Lonnie, “there ain’t goin’ to be no drawin’ straws and all that kinda stuff; sabe? I don’t care a cuss which one of you two pelicans decide to break the news at the Flyin’ H, but I want yuh to know it ain’t goin’ to be little Lonnie. By God! I’ve broke all the news I’m goin’ to today!”
“I guess we better not say anythin’ to ’em a-tall,” decided Nebrasky. “It ain’t no settled fact.”
“Shore—jist let it kinda drift,” agreed Leach.
“There goes Kelsey, wearin’ his arm in a sling,” said Slim. “He’s lucky it ain’t his head.”
“Come dang near bein’,” laughed Lonnie, and he headed for the hitch-rack.
Kelsey swore inwardly at the three punchers and wondered why Ralston didn’t deputise some of them to go with him. He met Handsome Clark at the door of a Chinese restaurant, and Clark told him that the cowboys had all disappeared when Jack Ralston showed up, and that Merrick had been the only one to ride with him.
Clark did not know about the missing money until Kelsey told him about it.