round. I don't see what made you do that;--not when
you knew Jim and Aleck had both testified before you did."

Lite rode slowly down the road to the stable, and cursed the impulse
that had made him blunder so. He had no compunctions for the lie, if
only it had done any good. It had done harm; he could see now that it
had. But he could not believe that it would make any material
difference in Aleck's case. As the story had been repeated to Lite by
half a dozen men, who had heard him tell it, Aleck's own testimony had
been responsible for the verdict.

Men had told Lite plainly that Aleck was a fool not to plead
self-defense, even in face of the fact that Johnny Croft had not drawn
any weapon. Jim had declared that Aleck could have sworn that Johnny
reached for his gun. Others admitted voluntarily that while it would
be a pretty weak defense, it would beat the story Aleck had told.

Lite turned the mare and colt into a shed for the night. He milked the
two cows without giving any thought to what he was doing, and carried
the milk to the kitchen door before he realized that it would be
wasted, sitting in pans when the house would be empty. Still, it
occurred to him that he might as well go on with the routine of the
place until they knew to a certainty what the grand jury would do. So
he went in and put away the milk.

After that, Lite let other work wait while he cleaned the kitchen and
tried to wash out that brown stain on the floor. His face was moody,
his eyes dull with trouble. Like a treadmill, his mind went over and
over the meager knowledge he had of the tragedy. He could not bring
himself to believe Aleck Douglas guilty of the murder; yet he could not
believe anything else.

Johnny Croft, it had been proven at the inquest, rode out from town
alone, bent on mischief, if vague, half-drunken threats meant anything.
He had told more than one that he was going to the Lazy A, but it was
certain that no one had followed him from town. His threats had been
for the most part directed against Carl, it is true; but if he had
meant to quarrel with Carl, he would have gone to the Bar Nothing
instead of the Lazy A. Probably he had meant to see both Carl and
Aleck, and had come here first, since it was the nearest to town.

As to enemies, no one had particularly liked Johnny. He was not a
likeable sort; he was too "mouthy" according to his associates. He had
quarreled with a good many for slight cause, but si