“Well, it strikes me that since seeing Bob Somers last I’ve had a pretty large time,” murmured Tom, with a grin. “I intended to take a jaunt over to Colonel Sylvester’s ranch anyway.” Then aloud he added, “You chaps are going to be mighty badly disappointed—too bad! I’ll take my book, please!”
“He ain’t himself; but it’s his book,” jeered Dan, putting the volume into his hand. “Who’s goin’ to take him over?”
“I am,” exclaimed Blimby, in his loud gruff voice. He untied his horse and mounted, motioning Tom to get on his own. Tom obeyed. Then, with a nod to the gray-bearded Mexican, and a hearty “So-long, fellows,” to the group of cow-punchers, he rode off by the side of Blimby.
Blimby he found was a very pleasant chap. He declined to answer any of his eager questions concerning Jimmy Raymond with this terse observation: “You can’t kid me, boy.” About the venerable looking Mexican, however, he was more communicative.
“A nice old chap,” he said, an odd look coming over his face. “He ain’t been around these parts very long. Every onct in a while one o’ the bunch has run across him; but the fellers who can parlez his tongue a bit says he won’t ever do no talkin’ about himself.”
“Well, what is he doing in Texas?” demanded Tom.
“He don’t seem to be doin’ nothin’ ’cept ridin’ his hoss about, an’ mostly over there by the Rio,” responded the cowboy. “Yes, he’s acting kind o’ queer, for a fact, but there ain’t no law ag’in it. Who told him to watch out for Jimmy Raymond? Why, every cow-puncher who could git it over in Spanish. But don’t rile me, son, a-talkin’ about Jimmy.”
Several hours after leaving the cowboys’ camp the two rode past the town-site of Sylvester, a short time later sighting the ranch buildings belonging to the colonel.
Everything about the appearance of the spacious adobe house, and the barns, sheds and fenced corrals surrounding it, was in accordance with the reputation and wealth of their owner.
As the cow-puncher and Tom rode up, a tall, soldierly looking man, seated on the wide veranda which extended around the entire house, hastily rose to his feet. His first glance brought a peculiar light into his stern, gray eyes. He stepped forward eagerly, then with a nearer view of the approaching riders, the light began to fade.