"Sure! I can lie and stick to it, though I'm sadly out of practice,"
said Pringle. "But hadn't we better fix up the same history to tell?
And where's your man Hargis that stays here? Will he do?"

"Unsaddle and I'll tell you. We've only got a few minutes. I saw the
dust of them coming down from the north as I drove in this bunch
of saddle horses. Some of them went up by train to Upham, you know.
Hargis has gone to the round-up, and I'm just as well pleased. I'm not
sure he can be trusted. We are to know not the first word of what has
happened. We haven't seen Chris and haven't heard of the murder. Come
in--we'll start dinner and be taken by surprise. Pringle, throw your
gun over on the bunk. Stella, get that look off your face. After you
hear the news you can look any old way and it'll be natural enough.
But you've got to be unconcerned and unsuspicious when they first
come."

He started a fire. Stella set about preparing dinner.

"Who brought the news?" she asked.

"Joe Cowan--and a relay. Someone rode to Jeff Isaack's ranch as fast
as ever a horse could go. Jeff came to Quartzite; Dodd passed the word
on to Goldenburg's and Cowan came here. At every ranch they drove
all the fresh saddle horses out of the way, so a posse couldn't get a
remount without losing time. Kitty Foy has got good friends, and they
don't believe he'd shoot any man in the back."

"And Foy's drifted with Cowan?"

"He hadn't a chance to get clear," said the Major. "We had no fresh