his friend?"

The innuendo was plain, and Yeager put it into words. "I'd be right
proud to have him for a friend. But we all know what you mean, Brill. Go
right ahead. Try and persuade the boys I'm a rustler, too. They haven't
known me on an average much over twenty years. But that doesn't matter.
They're so durned teachable to-day maybe you can get them to swallow
that with the rest."

With which parting shot he followed Phyllis out of the store. She turned
on him at the top of the porch steps leading to the house.

"Did he tell you that Phil was the rustler?"

"You mean did Keller tell me?" he said, surprised.

"Yes. 'Rastus was in the live oak and heard all you said."

"No. He didn't tell me that. We neither of us think it was Phil. It
couldn't be, for he was riding with you at the time. But he found your
knife there by the dead cow. Now, how did it come there? You let Phil
have the knife. Had he lent his knife to some one?"

"I don't know." She went on, after a momentary hesitation: "Are you
quite sure, Jim, that he really found the knife there?"

"He said so. I believe him."

She sighed softly, as if she would have liked to feel as sure. "The
reason I spoke of it was that I accused him of trying to throw the blame