"Let's see,Jean."Lite reached out and took it from her nerveless fingers."Maybe it won't amount to anything at all."Jean tried to hold herself calm."Read it--out loud,"she said."Then we'll know."She tried to smile,and made so great a failure of it that she came very near crying.The faint crackle of the cheap paper when Lite unfolded the letter made her start nervously.
"Read it--no matter--what it is,"she repeated,when she saw Lite's eyes go rapidly over the lines.
Lite glanced at her sharply,then leaned and took her hand and held it close.His firm clasp steadied her more than any words could have done.Without further delay or attempt to palliate its grim significance,he read the note:
Aleck:
If Johnny Croft comes to you with anything about me,kick him off the ranch.He claims he knows a whole lot about me branding too many calves.Don't believe anything he tells you.He's just trying to make trouble because he claims I underpaid him.He was telling Art a lot of stuff that he claimed he could prove on me,but it's all a lie.
Send him to me if he comes looking for trouble.I'll give him all he wants.
Art found a heifer down in the breaks that looks like she might have blackleg.I'm going down there to see about it.Maybe you better ride over and see what you think about it;we don't want to let anything like that get a start on us.
Don't pay any attention to Johnny.I'll fix him if he don't keep his face shut.
CARL.
"Carl!"Jean repeated the name mechanically."Carl.""I kinda thought it was something like that,"Art Osgood interrupted her to say."Now you know that much,and I'll tell you just what I know about it.It was Carl shot Crofty,all right.I rode over with him to the Lazy A;I was on my way to town and we went that far together.I rode that way to tell you good-by."He looked at Jean with a certain diffidence."I kinda wanted to see you before I went clear outa the country,but you weren't at home.
"Johnny Croft's horse was standing outside the house when we rode up.I guess he must have just got there ahead of us.Carl got off and went in ahead of me.Johnny was eating a snack when I went in.
He said something to Carl,and Carl flared up.I saw there wasn't anybody at home,and I didn't want to get mixed up in the argument,so I turned and went on out.
And I hadn't more than got to my horse when I heard a shot,and Carl came running out with his gun in his hand.
"Well,Johnny was dead,and there wasn't anything I could do about it.Carl told me to beat it outa the country,just like I'd been planning;he said it would be a whole lot better for him,seeing I wasn't an eye-witness.He said Johnny started to draw his gun,and he shot in self-defense;and he said I better go while the going was good,or I might get pulled into it some way.
"Well,I thought it over for a minute,and I didn't see where it would get me anything to stay.I couldn't help Carl any by staying,because I wasn't in the house when it happened.So I hit the trail for town,and never said anything to anybody."He looked at the two contritely."I never knew,till you folks came to Nogales looking for me,that things panned out the way they did.I thought Carl was going to give himself up,and would be cleared.I never once dreamed he was the kinda mark that would let his own brother take the blame that way.""I guess nobody did."Lite folded the letter and pushed it back into the envelope."I can look back now,though,and see how it come about.He hung back till Aleck found the body and was arrested;and after that he just simply didn't have the nerve to step out and say that he was the one that did it.He tried hard to save Aleck,but he wouldn't--""The coward!The low,mean coward!"Jean stood up and looked from one to the other,and spoke through her clinched teeth."To let dad suffer all this while!Lite,when did you say that train left for Salt Lake?We can take the taxi back down town,and save time."She was at the door when she turned toward the two again."Hurry up!Don't you know we've got to hurry?Dad's in prison all this while!And Uncle Carl,--there's no telling where Uncle Carl is!
That wire I sent him was the worst thing I could have done!""Or the best,"suggested Lite laconically,as he led the way down the hall and out to the rain-drenched,waiting taxicab.