She bit her lip with chagrin. “I just happened to notice.”
“Some folks are more noticing than others. But you’re surely right. They came up the ditch one on each side. Now, why one on each side, do you reckon?”
Melissy hid the dread that was flooding her heart. 147 “I’m sure I don’t know. You know everything else. I suppose you do that, too, if they really did.”
“They had their reasons, but we won’t go into that now. First off when they reach the house they take a bunch of sheep down to the ditch to water them. Now, why?”
“Why, unless because they needed water?”
“We’ll let that go into the discard too just now. Let’s suppose your father and Boone dumped the gold box down into the creek somewhere after they had robbed the stage. Suppose they had a partner up at the head-gates. When the signal is given down comes the water, and the box is covered by it. Mebbe that night they take it away and bury it somewhere else.”
The girl began to breathe again. He knew a good deal, but he was still off the track in the main points.
“And who is this partner up at the canal? Have you got him located too?”
“I might guess.”
“Well?”—impatiently.