"Now you're shouting, lieutenant. That's all we ask."

"It depends on what you mean by fair and square," another one spoke
up.

The ranger nodded amiably at him. "That you, Harris? Well, let's look
at the facts right. Here's Lost Valley, that's had a bad name ever
since it was inhabited. Far as I can make out its settlers are honest
men, regarded outside as miscreants. Just as folks were beginning to
forget it, comes the Squaw Creek raid. Now, I'm not going into that,
and I'm not going to say a word against the man that lies dead up in
the hills. But I'll say this: His death solves a problem for a good
many of the boys up there. I'm going to make it my business to see
that the facts are known right down in Gimlet Butte. I'm going to lift
the blame from the boys that were present, and couldn't help what
happened."

Yorky was impressed, but suspicion was not yet banished from his mind.
"You seem to know a lot about it, lieutenant."

"No use discussing that, Yorky. I know what I know. Here's the great
big point: If you lynch the man that shot Jed, the word will go out
that the valley is still a nest of lawless outlaws. The story will be
that the Squaw Creek raiders and their friends did it. Just as the
situation is clearing up nicely, you'll make it a hundred times worse
by seeming to indorse what Jed did on Squaw Creek."

"By thunder, that's right," Harris blurted.