She knew who the horseman was; she had seen him from the window of her
room when she had gone upstairs to get the money for Calumet. More
than once she had seen the sheriff coming over the hill--the same hill
upon which Calumet and Neal Taggart had fought their duel--and she
recognized the familiar figure. On his previous visits to the
ranchhouse, however, Toban had left his horse in the timber clump near
the house. She was not surprised, though, to hear him coming into the
ranchhouse yard tonight, for his errand now was different.
Toban had evidently intended to hitch his pony to the corral fence, for
it was toward it that he was directing the animal, when he caught sight
of Betty on the porch and rode up beside her.
"What's up?" he inquired, leaning over in the saddle and peering
closely at her; "you look flustered. Where's Marston?"
"Gone," she told him.
He straightened. "Gone where?" he demanded.
"Away--forever," she said weakly. "He heard you were after him
for--for killing that man Sharp--and he left."
Toban cursed. "So he got wind of it, did he? The Taggarts must have
gassed about it. Marston told you, did he? Why didn't you keep him
here? He didn't kill Sharp!"
"I know it," she said; "he told me he didn't, and I believed him. He
said you had a warrant for his arrest; that you were coming for him,
and I was afraid that if you met him out on the range somewhere there
would be shooting.
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