Mr.
Scotty obliged by flashing another eight, I knowed you was to deal me two
aces for confidence cards and two more to yourself, to make out a full
hand to beat my king-full. So I discarded two kings. Turn 'em over,
Boland. I took a long chance. Drew to the king, queen, and jack of
diamonds. If one of the aces I got in the draw had been either hearts or
black, I'd have lost a little money; and there's an end. As it happened,
I drew the diamond ace and the joker, making ace, king, queen, jack, and
ten--and this poker game is hereby done broke up. I'm ready for the
evidence now."

"You've earned it fair, and you'll get it. I told you I'd not implicate
any one but myself, and I won't. I robbed Wiley so I could saw it off on
Stan. You know why, I guess," said Dewing. "If you'll ask that little
Bobby kid of Jackson Carr's, he'll tell you that Stan lost his spur
beyond Hospital Springs about sunset on the night of the robbery, and
didn't find it again. The three of us rode in together, and the boy can
swear that Stan had only one spur.

"I saw the spur when we were hunting for it; I saw how it would help me
get Stan out of the way; so I said nothing, and I went back that night
and got it. I dropped it near where I held Wiley up, and found it again,
very opportunely, when I came back to Cobre with the posse. Every one
knew that spur; that was how the posse came to search Stan's place.
The rest is easy: I hid the money where it was sure to be found. That's
all I am going to tell you, and that's enough. If it will make you feel
any better about it, though, you may be pleased to know that Bat Wiley
and most of them were acting in good faith."

"That is quite satisfactory. The witness is excused," said Pete. "And
I'll give you twelve hours to leave Tucson before I give out the news."

"Twelve minutes is quite enough, thank you. My address will be Old Mexico
hereafter, and I'll close out the shop by mail. Anything else?"

"Why, yes; you might let me have that gun of yours as a keepsake. No;
I'll get it," said Pete kindly. "You just hold up your hands. Well, we
gotta be going. We've had a pleasant afternoon, haven't we? Good-bye,
gentlemen! Come on, Boland!"

They backed out of the room.

CHAPTER XVII

That night, between ten and eleven, Stanley Mitchell came forth from
Tucson Jail. Pete Johnson was not there to meet him; fearing espionage
from Cobre, he sent Boland, instead. Boland led the ex-prisoner to the
ren