The Coyote Part 24

"C'mon with the package!" said this man in a hoa.r.s.e voice. "We won't take a chance on you. If you make any kind of a break you'll get it where it'll do most good."

There was a sneering inflection in the voice.

Rathburn's hand, as it moved downward toward his s.h.i.+rt, hovered an instant above where his good gun was stuck in his waistband, out of sight under the skirt of his coat; then it moved to the open s.h.i.+rt at his throat. He drew out the package and held it out toward the other.

The man closed in and s.n.a.t.c.hed the package, glancing at it in the dim starlight.

"Now back the way you came an' don't invite no shootin'!" was the brief command.

Rathburn whirled his horse and drove in his spurs. As he fled from the scene a harsh laugh came to his ears from behind. Then utter silence save for the pounding of his horse's hoofs in the hard road back down the hogback.

"Jog along, hoss," Rathburn crooned as he sped down the long slopes toward town; "maybe we're peggin' things wrong, an' if it turns out that way we've a powerful long ways to go."

It lacked a few minutes of being two hours after midnight when he reached the Carlisle cabin. There he reined in his horse, dismounted in the shadow of the timber, and crept to a window. The moon had risen and was bathing the hills in a ghostly light in which every object stood out clear-cut and easily distinguishable. Rathburn peered into the two front windows, but could see nothing. Then, from a side window into which the moonlight filtered, he made out a bedroom. It was not occupied. From the other side of the cabin he saw another bedroom, and it, too, was unoccupied.

"n.o.body home," he muttered cheerfully as he ran for his horse.

In another minute he was again speeding down the road toward town. He slacked his pace as he reached the upper end of the short main street.

The street was dark save for two beams of yellow light, one of which shone from a window of the jail office and the other from the front of the Red Feather resort.

He walked his horse down the street past the jail and the resort and almost to the end of the line of buildings where he arrived before the small, one-story, two-room structure which was Sautee's office and abode.

The place was dark. Rathburn dismounted and led his horse into the dark shadow at the side of the little building. Then he went around to the front, and, drawing his gun from his waistband, he rapped smartly on the door with its b.u.t.t and dropped it into his holster.

There was no movement within, and Rathburn rapped again and tried the door. It was locked.

A match flared into flame somewhere beyond the front room. A glow of light followed. Rathburn, looking through the front window, saw a door open wide and made out the form of Sautee as the mines manager came forward to the front door.

"Who is it?" Sautee called cautiously.

"Rathburn."

After a moment a key turned in the lock and the door opened part way.

Rathburn pushed his way in.

"Why--didn't you _go_?" asked Sautee in excited tones.

"Lock the door an' come in the other room," whispered Rathburn. "I've got something to tell you that'll knock you for a goal."

Sautee hurriedly locked the door, and, as he turned to lead the way into the other room, Rathburn deftly extracted the key.

In the light from the lamp in the bedroom Sautee swung on his visitor and looked at him keenly. The mines manager was fully dressed, and the bed was made. It was evident that he had merely dozed on top of the covers with his clothes on. These things Rathburn noted even as Sautee surveyed him with a frown.

"Well, what is it?" snapped out Sautee.

Rathburn blinked in the light. "I--I was held up," he said sheepishly.

The mines manager stared. First he stared into Rathburn's eyes, and then he glanced to the gun in the holster on his thigh.

"Couldn't have been very much afraid of you," he said sneeringly. "I see they didn't even take your gun."

"It all come from my not knowin' enough about the trails, I guess,"

Rathburn explained lamely. "Got me on the far end of the hogback. Two of 'em. Had their guns in my face before I knew it. Couldn't have drawed if I wanted to. They'd have shot me out of the saddle in a wink. All I could do was hand over the package an' beat it."

"And they said you were a gunman," said Sautee in derision. "How do _I_ know anybody stopped you and robbed you? Maybe you've come back here with that story to cover up the theft of the money. I guess I made a mistake in ever thinking of trusting a man of your caliber."

"I was afraid of that," said Rathburn. "I was afraid if anything like this was to happen you might think I was lying and was taking the money myself. But I fooled 'em, Mr. Sautee," he finished in triumph.

"What's that?" Sautee asked sharply.

"Look here," cried Rathburn excitedly as he took off his hat and recovered the package he had put in it before starting toward the mine.

He held up the package. "I was scared they might get wise an' get the drop on me," he said. "So I opened the package an' took out what was in it and put it in my hat. They got the original package, all right, but it was stuffed with an old glove of mine. Here's the money. I didn't go right on to the mine for fear they'd find out their mistake an' pot me from the timber. This is the money you gave me, minus the seals an' the string an' box. I wanted you to see that I was on the square."

Sautee's eyes were bulging. "Give me that," he gulped out.

"Why--don't you want me to take it to the mine?" asked Rathburn in surprise.

"Hand that over," ordered Sautee, reaching for the package.

Rathburn drew away. "All right, Mr. Sautee," he said in a complaining voice. "If you don't want me to go through with the job you can back down, I guess. We'll just make sure the money's here, though."

Sautee leaped toward him.

"Give me that package!" he cried angrily. "Do you hear me?"

Rathburn warded him off, keeping the package at arm's length away.

"Just hold your horses," he said coldly. "I reckon I know what I'm doing. You don't trust me now, an' I ain't goin' to take any chances with you. I'm goin' to open this an' show you that the money's there, that's all; I'm goin' to show you that I'm giving you back what you gave me all fair an' square."

Sautee's face was ashen. His voice trembled as he spoke again: "Hand it over and get out of here. I've had enough trouble with you. I'll take your word for it."

But Rathburn was undoing the paper wrappings.

Again Sautee made a leap, but this time he met Rathburn's left fist and staggered back, dropping into a chair. Rathburn looked at him coldly.

"Funny you're so anxious to take my word for things now, when a minute ago you said you couldn't know but what I'd told that holdup story for a blind so's I could get away with--_this_!"

The wrappings fell away, revealing a wad of blank paper.

Rathburn's face froze. Sautee stared white-faced at what the other held in his hand. Then a peculiar glint came into his eyes and he looked at Rathburn narrowly.

"So that's the way of it," he said sarcastically.

Rathburn stuffed the paper into a pocket. Then he pulled a chair in front of the mines manager and sat down. He took out paper and tobacco from his s.h.i.+rt pocket and began to fas.h.i.+on a cigarette.

"It sure looks bad for me, doesn't it, Mr. Sautee?" he asked as he snapped a match into flame.

"I thought you were going to return the money," Sautee said sneeringly.