ave been afraid, not bein' a hawg."

Donley tittered. Poker Face looked unconcerned.

"Take that man Donley into the hall," Judith said to Lee. "See if he
has got any pigeon feathers sticking to him anywhere, inside his shirt,
probably. If you need any help, say so."

Very gravely Bud Lee put a hand on Donley's shoulder.

"Come ahead, stranger," he said quietly.

"You go to hell!" cried Donley, springing away.

But Bud Lee's hand was on him, and though he struggled and cursed and
threatened he went with Lee into the hallway. Tripp, watching through
the open door, smiled. Donley was on his back, Lee's knees on his
chest.

"I'll tell you one thing, stranger," Bud Lee was saying to him softly,
as his hand tore open Donley's shirt, "you open your dirty mouth to
cuss just once more in Miss Sanford's presence and I'll ruin the looks
of your face for you. Now lie still, will you?"

"Connect me with the Bagley ranch," Judith directed the Rocky Mountain
operator. "That's right, isn't it, Doc?"

"Yes," answered Tripp. "That's the nearest case of cholera."

"Hello," said Judith when the connection had been established. "Mr.
Bagley? This is Judith Sanford, Blue Lake ranch. I've got a case of
hog-cholera here, too. I want some information."

She asked her questions, got her answers. Triumphantly she turned to
Tripp.

The Bagley ranch, though a hundred miles away, was the nearest
cholera-infected place of which Tripp had any knowledge. Bagley did
have a flock of pigeons; a man, a month or so ago, had bought two dozen
from him; the man wasn't Trevors. Bagley didn't know who he was. The
same man, however, had shown up three days ago and had asked for
another half-dozen of the birds. There had been three white pigeons
among them. He was a shifty-eyed chap, Bagley said, old brown suit,
hat with a rattlesnake skin around the crown. That, point for point,
spelled Donley.

Lee returned with the shirt which he had ripped from his prisoner's
back. Adhering to the inside of it were little, downy feathers and
three or four larger feathers from a pigeon's wing.

"I guess he rode mostly at night, at that," concluded Lee. "A great
little fat man you must have looked, stranger, with six of those
birdies in your shirt."

Donley's face was a violet red. But a glance from Lee shut his mouth
for him. Poker Face, still looking on, gave no sign of interest.

"Put him in the grain-house," said Judith, her eyes br