Page:Ritchie - Trails to Two Moons.djvu/70

 tight-mouthed as any old porcupine—but since you all took up your claim here on Teapot, your pappy 's sorta th'owed in with me an' my boys over to the Spout. He used to give us information whenever he heard Original Bill, the inspector, had his war paint on an' was projectin' round to give us a run; now an' then we 'd leave a few weaned calves in that little hid corral you 've got. Long an' short of it all is your pappy was in pretty deep with Zang Whistler an' his outfit of blackballed cow-punchers—so you 're in, too." Zang's talking hands moved to show his cards were falling fairly on the table.

"Well?" This from Hilma without enthusiasm.

"Now your pappy's stake in this deal," Zang continued imperturbably, "was an occasional split when we managed to run some of our stock over to Niobrara for a sale, an' my promise to put every man an' gun I 've got in the Spout behind him come time when the big cow outfits and he came to a show-down on the range fight. That promise stands, Miss Hilma—for you just like it did for him."

"You mean your boys stand ready to back up the sheep people with guns?" For the first