ddled to Tom and the boys under the guise of
friendship. Having lived all of his life in the Black Rim country, Tom
knew how much the friendship was worth, knew that the Black Rim folk
had drawn together like a wolf pack, and were waiting only until he
was down before they rushed in to rend him and his family. Old grudges
were brought out and aired secretly. It would go hard with the
Lorrigan family if Tom were found guilty. Although he sensed the
covert malice behind the smiles men gave him, he would not yield one
inch from his mocking disparagement of the whole affair. He laid down
a law or two to his boys, and bade them hold their tongues and go
their way and give no heed to the clacking.

"The show ain't over till the curtain's down for good," he said,
borrowing a phrase from Belle. "We got a long time yet to live in the
Black Rim. We'll be right here when the smoke lifts. Hang and rattle
now, and keep your mouths shut. This here's the law-sharp's job. I'm
payin' him darn good money for it, too. When he's through, then we'll
play. But mark this down in yore little red book, boys: The less yuh
say right now, the stronger we can play the game when we're ready."

"If they do railroad yuh, dad, leave it to us. They'll be a sorry
looking bunch when we're through," said Lance, and meant every word of
it.

"They won't railroad me." Tom snorted and laughed his contempt of the
whole affair. "I ain't ever used the law to fight with before--but
shucks! When a scrap gets outside of gun range, one club's about the
same as another to me."

Optimism is a good thing, but it does not altogether serve, as Tom
discovered at the trial.

Evidence was produced which astonished him. For instance, an AJ man
had seen him riding over by Squaw Butte, on the night after Douglas
had accused him of stealing the spotted yearling. The AJ man seemed
embarrassed at his sudden prominence in the case, and kept turning his
big range hat round and round on one knee as he sat in the chair
sacred to those who bore witness to the guilt or innocence of their
fellow men in Black Rim country. He did not often look up, and when he
did he swallowed convulsively, as though something stuck in his
throat. But his story sounded matter-of-fact and honest.

He had ridden past Squaw Butte the night after Tom Lorrigan was
accused by Douglas. Yes, he knew it was that night, because next day
he heard about the fuss over at Devil's Tooth. He had been on his way
fr