“I have no idea,” said Vaughan.
He stepped aside hastily to avoid beingjostled by the four men barging into the tent. First came theorderly officer, Captain Kerwin, as urbane as ever and, ifVaughan’s hunch was correct, doing his utmost not to burst intolaughter. Next came Boyle and the scrawny corporal, still clad intheir red underwear. Sheriff Upshaw brought up the rear. Doggedly,self-righteously, he began addressing the bug-eyedcolonel.
“I’ve been wearin’ this badge many a longyear, Colonel, and I’m a fair-minded man. Don’t mind closin’ myeyes to some of the ructions your soldiers have caused in Bosworth.I reckon every trooper hankers to get drunk once in a while and letoff a little steam. But, doggone it, this is too much! We gotdecent women in Bosworth. How would you feel, if your wife waswalking along—mindin’ her own business—and suddenly got an eyefulof a couple growed men in their longjohns—a’prancin’ and a’cussin’and a’roarin’ up a storm ...?”
“If I may be permitted to …” beganKerwin.
“Silence!” repeated Stone, at the top ofhis voice.
“I must remind you,” frowned Vaughan.“Your blood pressure ...”
“Plague take my blood pressure!” stormedStone. “What is the meaning of this outrage? Sergeant Boyle!Corporal Cusack! You are regimentally undressed—worse thanregimentally undressed!”
“This lame-brained badge-toter,”complained Boyle, “didn’t give me a chance to explain.”
“I’ll give you that chance—you incompetent,bungling jackass!” roared Stone. “And, by thunder, your explanationhad better be convincing—or you’ll find yourself confined to thestockade—indefinitely! Indefinitely, I say!”
“It’s this way, Colonel, sir,” explainedBoyle. “Me and Corporal Cusack went to this here bathhouse...”
“To take a bath,” interjected thecorporal.
“And some sneakin’ sonofagun,” scowledBoyle, “stole our clothes—everything except our underwear.”
“They must’ve reached through the window forit,” opined the corporal.
“I’ll allow we maybe lost our heads,”shrugged Boyle, “when we climbed outa those tubs and found we’dbeen robbed.”
“And so,” breathed Stone, “you barged outinto the street! Men of the Ninth—my command—making a spectacle ofyourselves! By Judas, it’s a wonder you had sense enough to donyour underwear!”
“I’m a fair-minded man,” Upshaw stolidlyrepeated. “You give me your guarantee they won’t do it again, andthere’ll be no charges brought against ’em.”
“It must’ve been those damn-blasted Texans!”fumed Boyle.
“Hold on now ...” began Upshaw.
“Hold on be damned,” growled Boyle. “Youdon’t know ’em the way we do.” He appealed to the grim-faced Stone.“I ask you, Colonel sir. Who else would have the gall, the almightynerve ...?”
“By Judas ...!” gasped Stone. He poundedthe desktop with his clenched fist. “It had to be them!”
“You got no proof!” protested Upshaw.
“We’ll find proof soon enough,” retortedStone. “Captain Kerwin!”
“Sir?” The captain froze to respectfulattention.
“Take a detail,” ordered Stone.“Six men. Go to Bosworth at once. Ascertain the whereabouts ofValentine and Emerson—then conduct a search. You know what to lookfor. If they’re in possession of those uniforms ...!”
“You got to promise me somethin’, Colonel,”pleaded the sheriff.
“What the devil are you babbling about?”challenged Stone.
“The charge,” Upshaw carefully pointed out,“would be theft of army property—wouldn’t it? That makes it amilitary matter, and I got no authority to military prisoners in acivilian jail.”
“You’ve made your point, Sheriff Upshaw,”said Stone. He smiled bleakly. “Have no fear. I shall insist thatyou accompany Captain Kerwin’s search party. But this will be amilitary arrest. Having located the evidence, the captain willbring those insolent Texans back to his camp. We have noguardhouse, but we do have a stockade—in which those blasted Rebswill become permanent residents.” He snapped his fingers. “On yourway, Captain!”
Kerwin hustled to obey.
With Upshaw tagging him, he hurried to thehorse corrals and, en route, beckoned a half-dozen huskytroopers.
They reached town soon afterward, and ittook Upshaw, only a few minutes to confirm that the drifters hadchecked into the Lincoln House. A startled desk clerk supplied thenumber of their room. Up the stairs marched the captain and hisdetail with an apprehensive Upshaw in close attendance.
A trooper made to pound on the door. Upshawhastily restrained him.
“Don’t do that, for gosh sakes! What d’youwant to do—rile ’em up?” He nodded apologetically to the captain.“With your permission ...”
“By all means,” shrugged Kerwin.
Upshaw rapped gingerly, and very quietly.From beyond, Larry Valentine calmly announced,
“It’s unlocked.”
Upshaw opened the door. The troopersforged in after him, determined and truculent, and the driftersremained where they were sprawled on their beds, smoking. Not bythe flicker of an eyelash did they suggest apprehension, guilt,indignation; they were taking it very calmly.
“Valentine—Emerson ...” smiledKerwin.
“Well, well, well,” grinnedLarry.
“We’ve seen him before,” Stretchrecalled.
“Name of Kirby?” prodded Larry.
“Kerwin,” corrected the captain.
“Oh, sure,” nodded Larry. “How youbeen?”
“Middling,” shrugged Kerwin. “Sorry aboutthis, but …”
“You tell us why yougot theseblue-britches stampedin’ all over our room,” suggested Larry, “andI’ll tell you if you need to apologies.”
“It was the Colonel's idea,” Kerwinexplained.
“And that’s a fact,” asserted Upshaw.“The Colonel went off half-cocked.”
“Allow me to explain,” said Kerwin. “Itseems two cavalry uniforms are missing, Valentine. Sergeant Boyleand Corporal Cusack were visiting the bathhouse forthe—uh—customary purpose, and ...”
“To look at him,” mused Stretch, “I’d neverbelieve he bathed regular.”
“We oughtn’t be too hard on Boyle,” Larrycharitably opined. “Him and the Colonel got hurt bad in thewar.”
“I didn’t know Colonel Stone and thesergeant had suffered serious injuries,” frowned Kerwin.
“You bet they did,” said Larry. “They losttheir britches and got frost-bit backsides.”
“Well ...” chuckled Kerwin, “we’d best notgo into that.”
Upshaw fidgeted nervously, as he toldthem,
“The Colonel figures it was you stole thoseuniforms.”
“Now how,” wondered Larry, “did he ever getsuch a notion?”
“Your word would be good enough for me,”Kerwin assured them. “However, I have my orders. The Colonelinsisted I search your quarters.”
“Go ahead, Captain.” Larry gesturednonchalantly. “Search all you want.”
That search was brief, but thorough.Kerwin’s men went over every inch of the room and its contents,checking the dresser, the closet, the two pack-rolls, themattresses and even the balcony outside the window. One of thetroopers unwrapped Larry’s recent purchase and exhibited it forKerwin’s appraisal.
“A repeater, Cap’n. Forty-four-forty—andbrand new.”
“Very observant of you, Trooper Barfett,”said Kerwin.
“Well—uh—Captain...” shrugged thetrooper.
“Even from this distance,” said Kerwin, “Ican see it’s a different brand to those in the stolen consignment.”He nodded affably to the Texans. “Besides, Valentine and Emersonaren’t hijackers—or cold-blooded murderers.”
The search continued for a few moreminutes. At the end of that time,
