"Too much," grimly remarked Bud. They went away, paying no further attention to Del Pinzo though he smiled at them in what he doubtless intended for a genial manner.
"What do you make of it, Bud?" asked Nort.
"Of what?"
"Professor Wright having that rascal with him?"
"Well," remarked Bud, with as judicial an air as he could assume on short notice, "you can look at it in two ways."
"For instance?" suggested Dick, teasingly. "We're in for something good, now," he whispered to his brother, though not so low but that Bud could not hear.
"Well, either Professor Wright knows Del Pinzo is a rascal, and takes to him in spite of that, or he doesn't know it—though how he can be ignorant I can't understand," declared Bud. "If he doesn't—he's the only one who knows the game who thinks Del is any better than a common, onery horse thief!"
"Maybe something will happen, soon, to open his eyes," suggested Nort, as they rode on.
When they reached the headquarters at Diamond X they found Sheriff Hank Fowler in earnest conversation with Mr. Merkel.
"Anything doing, Dad?" asked Bud.