CHAPTER XI

Stiff and sore in every muscle, Teddy arose from his bed the morning following his disastrous ride and bent over experimentally. Roy, who had a bed on the other side of the room, grinned widely.

“Are you a little stiff from bowling?”

“I’m a big stiff from bowling. Where is Bowling, anyhow, that so many stiffs come from there? Golly, if someone took a swing at me now I’d break right in two. Say—” he sat on the side of the bed and observed his brother—“suppose the cinch straps break in the rodeo. Does it count as a throw?”

“Hum! Have to ask Pop about that. Don’t see why it should. Now take that pony yesterday, for instance—you had him beaten. It wasn’t your fault that the girths broke. He was trotting for you when it happened. You went over his head like a skyrocket, I’ll tell a maverick!”

“Don’t I know it! There’ll be no more of that, though. When I ride him again, which will be to-day or to-morrow, I’ll make certain sure that the straps are O.K. Baby, when I saw that bronc coming for me with his teeth sticking out, I thought I’d never see a cinch strap again! Well, it’s over now—and luckily, thanks to you. Oh-h-h-h, but I’m stiff! Wow! See if you can take the kinks out of my back, will you?”

Teddy removed his pajama shirt, and Roy doused him liberally with liniment. Then he kneeded the back muscles vigorously as Teddy lay face downward on the bed.

“Uh—uh—have—a—heart! Ouch! What—you—using, anyway? Iron balls? Oof!”

“Only my hands, Teddy; only my hands,” Roy said, grinning. “You’ve got to get used to this. Wait, there’s a spot right between the shoulderblades that I haven’t touched. There she is.”

“Yow! I’ll say she is! Go—easy! Finished? Thank goodness!” Teddy sat up, blinking. “That was fun for you, wasn’t it? You should have been living in the days of the Inquisition. Bet you could have gotten a job. Let’s see now.” He stretched, cautiously. “By golly, it is better at that! The ache’s mostly gone. Yep, Roy, you’re some doctor!”

“Certainly! Had to hurt a little—all good doctors do. Or else the patient doesn’t get his money’s worth. Now you hop into your clothes and we’ll see how much bacon and eggs we can put away. They’ll make you forget your troubles. Come on, I’ll beat you getting dressed.”

Teddy, however, refused to race. He said he was in no condition to try for athletic laurels. He took his time, and when he reached the breakfast table Roy had already started on his second course.

Mr. Manley smiled as he saw how carefully his son eased himself into the chair.

“’Fraid of breakin’ it, Teddy?”

“Uh-huh. Can’t bear to see a chair busted. Never forgive myself.”

“Broken, Teddy, not busted,” Mrs. Manley corrected gently. “I’m thinking it’s more than the worry over that chair that is bothering you. Would you like to try that trick of standing on your hands for me, Teddy?”

Teddy swallowed, and coughed.

“Well, Mom, maybe later. I’m hungry now. Norine—” this to the waitress, who was bringing in some more bacon—“will you please ask your mother if she has any corn bread?” Mrs. Moore, the mother of Norine, had been housekeeper and cook at the X Bar X for a number of years.

Norine, a young, pretty Irish girl, dimpled and declared that the kitchen was never empty of anything “for the likes of yourself and Mister Roy.” The corn bread, very hot, was brought in.

“Had something of a jolt last night, I hear, Teddy,” remarked Mrs. Manley, after Teddy had helped himself to the corn bread.

“Huh? Oh—Who told you anything about it, Mom?”

“Do you really think much goes on concerning my children that I do not know about?” and Mrs. Manley laughed.

Belle Ada looked up from her corn bread and syrup.

“Then there’s me, Teddy. Don’t you suppose that I know all that goes on on this ranch?”

“Oh, it was you, Miss Pry! That explains everything.”

“Yes; and it’s a good thing that you have a sister to keep an eye on you.”

After the meal was concluded the boys walked to the corral and viewed the bronco that had thrown Teddy. He looked docile enough as he stood eyeing them, and Teddy determined to ride him without delay. Roy was for waiting until afternoon, but Teddy vetoed this, and together the two boys managed to saddle the horse. He remained perfectly quiet, even when Teddy put a hand on the saddle horn.

“Never mind the blind,” he said. “Something tells me this bronc is cured. You watch.”

Before Roy could utter a word Teddy had vaulted into the saddle. But nothing happened. The animal moved calmly about the corral as correctly as any school horse, and after a few minutes Teddy dismounted.

“Anyone could ride him now,” he declared. “Glad I decided to climb aboard before he forgot me. Hope the broncs in the rodeo will be as easy to stay with.”

“Let’s forget that rodeo for a while,” Roy suggested. “There are a few things more important just at present—Peterson and his offer for our cattle, for instance. See Gus yet?”

“How could I? I’ve been with you all the time. Let’s wander over and see if he’s around.”

The boys found Gus Tripp near the hitching-rail preparing to ride through the country near Mica Mountain and investigate the condition of the ground. He had his bronco saddled, and was mounting as the boys came up.

“Got time to wait a second, Gus?” Teddy called.

“Sure! Reckon you want to know what I found out about Peterson. Well, the answer’s easy—nothin’. Yore dad asked me, too; an’ when I told him no one in town had ever heard of him, he looked sort of worried. Tell you how it is—a man likes to know somethin’ about a man he’s dealin’ with, especially when it’s a large order like this. Course Peterson did put up a deposit; but there’s plenty of things can happen between now an’ the time he puts the purchase price in yore dad’s hands and takes delivery. I don’t blame the boss for askin’ questions.”

“So no one knew him!” Roy mused for a moment. “I suppose, actually, that that fact alone doesn’t mean much. But, you see, Gus, this Peterson is acquainted with the Lefton boys.” Roy glanced at his brother, for they had decided not to tell anyone of their discovery. But in the face of Gus’s statement, it seemed best that the whole thing be laid on the table. Teddy nodded his approbation. “And you know how those Lefton brothers’ deal fell through, after practically demanding we tell ’em all about our business. Of course that’s exaggerated, but you get what I mean.”

“Yep, I get ya’. Well, I guess we can’t do nothin’ about it. I better be gettin’ along now. See you later.” Gus waved and rode off.

Teddy and Roy stood there for a moment, watching him go. Then they walked slowly toward the house.

“I’m thinking,” Roy mused, “that the molehill we were talking about a while ago has increased in size. Maybe it’ll grow to a fair-sized mountain after all.”

“Um! In other words, things are stirring. Let’s take a ride over to the south range. Remember where we found so many breaks in the fence? We can do a little repair work on the side. I don’t think dad wants us for anything special. I’ll ask him before we go, to make sure.”

Teddy found his father talking to Nat Raymond, both standing by the side of one of the ranch wagons. Nat waved to Teddy, and called:

“Hey, take a look at what we got here. Maybe you’ll recognize some of ’em.”

“What? Recognize—”

He reached the wagon and peered in. Then he gave a low whistle of amazement.

Within were the bodies of some ten of fifteen wolves.

“He cleaned that gang up for you, Teddy,” Mr. Manley said. “Remember when I sent the boys out to chase these critters off the range? They didn’t have so much luck then, but Nat, Jules an’—who else was with you, Nat—Joe, wasn’t he?—they went out yisterday an’ did a little fancy shootin’. I feel more easy, now—didn’t like Belle Ada to ride around with these things roamin’ the hills. Some nice pelts there.”

Teddy reached out and touched one of the dead wolves.

“This big one, Dad, was probably the leader. The rest—those that are left, I mean—will scatter now. Good work, Nat! Wish I could have been there when you brought these down. Where’d you run across them?”

“Near Sanborn’s Point. We just stood still an’ picked ’em off. They tried to rush us, but we soon discouraged ’em. I’ll take ’em out back, boss, an’ get someone to help skin ’em. These pelts are worth money.” He clucked to the small roan that was standing quietly between the shafts, and the wagon creaked out of the yard. Teddy turned to his father.

“Dad, Roy and I want to do a little fence riding. There were a few places we missed the last time, and we’ll fix ’em now. We may be gone all day. Anything special to do around here?”

“Reckon not, Teddy. Say—” Mr. Manley paused for a moment. “Did you speak to Gus after he got in from town?”

“Yep! About Peterson, you mean? Said no one seemed to know him. But I can tell you one thing—Peterson knows the Lefton brothers.”

“The Lefton brothers!” Mr. Manley started. “I thought they’d left the country. A bunch of four-flushers, that’s what they are! I didn’t take to ’em when I first met ’em. They’re not cattle dealers. So Peterson is acquainted with them, hey?” He took his corncob pipe from his pocket and stuck it, unfilled, between his teeth. His eyes narrowed in thought.

“Saw the three of ’em together in Red Rock. They hopped a train just as Roy and I were going to yell at ’em. Still, I suppose there’s no harm in that,” suggested Teddy.

“No harm, no.” Mr. Manley tugged at the ends of his mustache. “Well, go along, Teddy. Stay as long as you want to. Nothing important around here. So he knows the Lefton boys, hey?”

Turning, Mr. Manley walked slowly toward the house. Teddy saw him mount the steps of a small side porch and enter his office. The door slammed shut.

When Teddy rejoined his brother, who was waiting with the two horses, Star and Flash, already saddled, he told him of Nat Raymond’s wolf hunt. Then he spoke of their father’s behavior on learning of Peterson’s friendship with the two Leftons.

“Seemed worried, did he?” Roy asked, and Teddy nodded.

There was no more said for a time, and, mounting, the boys rode out of the yard. After an hour they came in sight of a small herd of cattle—about a hundred—and they loped over.

“See if there are any strays in this bunch,” Roy said. “There are a few breaks in the fence, you know. Of course there’s no range near us—that is, no range where cattle are grazing, but we’ll look, anyway. The best time to take out strangers is before round-up, not after.”

They came closer, and peered at the brands. On every cow there could be plainly seen the X—X.

“Guess these are all right,” Teddy commented. “Might as well—”

A peculiar whistle came from the air just above them, and the two boys ducked automatically. At the same instant Teddy’s hat flew from his head. He gasped, and put his hand up. Then he looked at the fingers in amazement.

They were smeared with blood!