on him," he returned. "But we missed more cattle yesterday, an' it
looks mighty suspicious. Since we had that talk about Radford, when
you told me it wasn't him doin' the rustlin' I've changed my mind a
heap. I'm thinkin' he rustled them cattle last night."

Ferguson looked quizzically at him. "How many cattle you missin'?" he
questioned.

Stafford banged a fist heavily down upon his desk top. "We're twenty
calves short on the tally," he declared, "an' half a dozen cows. We
ain't got to the steers yet, but I'm expectin' to find them short too."

Ferguson drew a deep breath. The number of cattle missing tallied
exactly with the number he had seen in the basin down the river. A
glint of triumph lighted his eyes, but he looked down upon Stafford,
drawling:

"You been doin' the tallyin'?"

"Yes."

Ferguson was now smiling grimly.

"Where's your range boss?" he questioned.

"The boys say he rode over to the river lookin' for strays. Sent word
that he'd be in to-morrow. But I don't see what he's got to do----"

"No," returned Ferguson, "of course. You say them cattle was rustled
last night?"

"Yes." Stafford banged his fist down with a positiveness that left no
doubt of his knowledge.

"Well, now," observed Ferguson, "an' so you're certain Radford rustled
them." He smiled again saturninely.

"I ain't sayin' for certain," returned Stafford, puzzled by Ferguson's
manner. "What I'm gettin' at is that there ain't no one around here
that'd rustle them except Radford."

"There ain't no other nester around here that you know of?" questioned
Ferguson.

"No. Radford's the only one."

Ferguson lingered a moment. Then he walked slowly to the door. "I
reckon that's all," he said. "To-morrow I'm goin' to show you your
rustler."

He had stepped out of the door and was gone into the gathering dusk
before Stafford could ask the question that was on the end of his
tongue.

CHAPTER XXII

KEEPING A PROMISE

Ferguson's dreams had been troubled. Long before dawn he was awake and
outside the bunkhouse, splashing water over his face from the tin wash
basin that stood on the bench just outside the door. Before breakfast
he had saddled and bridled Mustard, and directly after the meal he was
in the saddle, riding slowly toward the river.

Before very long he was riding through Bear Flat, and after a time he
came to the hill where only two short days before he had reveled in the
supreme happiness