'Does he have a gun, Coots?'
'Yes. He always carries his old flat-top Colt when he's on the trail. He's afraid of snakes. It's about the only thing in this world Coots is afraid of.'
'So that's two things in our favor,' Mr. Kane said. 'We have Matthew on the inside… more or less. And tomorrow morning Coots will be coming back, and we'll have an armed man they don't even know about.'
'They don't know about me either,' Ruth Lillian said.
'Yes, and that's how we're going to keep it,' her father responded sternly.
'But wait a minute!' Matthew said. 'What if they see Coots coming down the trail? I mean, he doesn't know what's going on. He's got no reason to sneak into town.'
'You're right,' B. J. said, his stomach sinking at the realization that he had overlooked something so important. 'I'll have to go up-trail before dawn and let him know what's going on.'
'And if those men come looking for you and you're not at the Livery?' Mr. Kane asked.
'I'll go warn Coots,' Ruth Lillian said simply.
'You'll do nothing of the-!'
'But, Pa! Who else can go? You've got to stay here in case they want something from the store. Matthew will be over making breakfast. And you just said Mr. Stone mustn't be away from the Livery.'
'Listen to me. You are not leaving this-'
'She's right, you know,' B. J. interrupted. 'She could sneak out first thing in the morning and go up-trail to meet Coots. If I keep a lookout through my back window, I'll see them coming around Shinbone Cut about a quarter of an hour before they get to the meadow. ' B. J. had often watched for Coots's return so he could have a hot cup of coffee ready for him. 'When they get down, they can slip — '
'I am not going to let my daughter run the risk of being caught by those-'
'Mr. Kane?' B. J. interrupted again. 'Ruth Lillian is a smart girl. She won't take any foolish-'
'No,' Mr. Kane said with finality. 'No.'
'Sir?' Matthew said. 'What about if Ruth Lillian sneaks real careful behind the buildings and goes up to the Livery before dawn? Then at first light she could start up the trail, and when she meets Coots, she warns him to make his way down as quiet as he can. Then she could-'
'I will not have-'
'No, just a minute, sir. Then she could go on up the trail to the Surprise Lode, and she could tell the miners what's going on down here. That way she'd be out of town and safe, and Coots would be warned, and-'
'— and the miners could come down and surprise those men!' B. J. continued. 'They could arm themselves to the teeth and take the train most of the way, then come the last mile or so down the track on foot, quietly… at night, maybe. That's it!'
Mr. Kane could see that this plan made sense, but he was still reluctant to let Ruth Lillian run any risk. 'Are you sure she can make it up the trail? I've never been higher than Twenty-Mile myself.'
'It's steep and rough,' B. J. admitted. 'And when it rains it gets pretty treacherous. But so long as it's dry, she can make it.' He turned to her. 'You'll just have to take it easy. Don't push yourself. Expect to take a good nine, maybe ten hours getting up to the lode. Until the miners arrive, it'll be our job to make sure we don't give those madmen any reason to start hurting people. Well? Do you agree, Mr. Kane?'
Ruth Lillian touched her father's arm. After a brief internal struggle, he closed his eyes and nodded. 'Yes, yes, anything that gets her out of town.'
'Good,' B. J. said. 'Then tomorrow morning, after I see Ruth Lillian off up the trail, I'll keep a sharp lookout. And when I see Coots come around Shinbone Cut, I'll go over to the hotel and have a few words with the boss. I'll tell him he hasn't got a chance of getting the silver, and I'll say that-hell, I don't know what I'll say. I'll just make it up as I go along. But one way or another I'll make a diversion to give Coots a chance to get down to the Livery unnoticed. So! That's it. Now I guess we'd all better get some sleep. Make sure you wear something warm and rough tomorrow morning, young lady. Matthew? You'll have to do something about Queeny.'
'Me? Ah… do what?'
'Well, we can't leave the poor old thing sitting out there, naked. Bring her to your place.'
'But, I-'
'Ruth Lillian, can you find something for Matthew to put around her?'
'Sure.' She took a Hudson Bay blanket down from the shelf. 'Will this do?'
'That'll do fine,' B. J. said. 'Well, then!' He pushed his chair back. 'Is there anything else we should talk about, Mr. Kane?'
'No, I think that's about it,' Mr. Kane said. 'And I don't mind telling you that I feel much, much more assured than I did a while ago.'
Aware that Mr. Kane's false confidence was for Ruth Lillian's benefit, B. J. reached up and gripped the girl's forearm. 'Are you all right?'
'Sure.' But she had been shivering involuntarily.
'Not too scared?'
'No, sir. I'd say I was scared just about the right amount,' she said with a faint smile. Then, more seriously, 'Don't worry about me, Mr. Stone. I'll do what has to be done.'
'There you go! Now, Matthew? You'd better get back to the marshal's office.'
'But what about Queeny?'
'You should walk across to her from your place. I don't want you seen coming from here.'
'Oh, I see. Sure.'
'You'd better go to bed now,' Mr. Kane said to his daughter.
'I won't be able to sleep.'
'Maybe not, but you can keep out of sight.'
'But, Pa…'
'Ruth Lillian!'
'… All right, Pa.'
'Now you two get going,' B. J. said.
At the foot of the stairs, Ruth Lillian gave Matthew the blanket. In reaching for it, he found her hand and pressed it briefly. Then he left.
The two old men sat in the darkness, drained and sour-stomached, the aftermath of prolonged emotional tension. When Mr. Kane spoke, his voice was husky. 'Do you really think we have a chance?'
'Oh, sure!'
'Hm-m. And even if you didn't think so, you'd pretend you did.'
'Yes.'
Mr. Kane nodded. 'We're asking a lot of young Matthew. Giving him the dangerous task of spying on them.'
'He's a bright kid.'
'Oh, yes, he's bright. But there's something…' Mr. Kane lifted his shoulders and shook his head.
B. J. recalled the graphic description in that two-month-old Nebraska Plainsman. How much emotional elasticity could a boy have left, after finding his parents… like that? He considered offering Matthew a chance to talk about what had happened. But what if making him remember unraveled the fabric of forgetfulness and fantasy that was holding the boy together? Well, he was too tired to make an intelligent decision tonight. He really should get back to the Livery and- But Mr. Kane began speaking quietly into the dark, his gaze focused on the moon-glossed surface of his battered worktable.
'I told you I got rid of the gun I used to keep behind the counter because guns frighten me. Well, that's true, but also… ' He shrugged, then he lightly rubbed his fingertips over the edge of the table worn smooth by years of doing his accounts there. B. J. sat patiently until Mr. Kane continued, 'I was working. Right here at this table. It was late at night, and my wife was out visiting a sick friend. Oh, I knew there was no sick friend, but…' He puffed out a long sigh between slack lips. 'I sat here with my account book open, trying to keep my mind occupied… trying not to imagine her… well! Then I heard him walking up the steps to the porch. The footsteps of a strong, confident man. You remember our town marshal?'
'Yes.'
'A strong, confident man. Well, he came in and tossed his badge onto this table, and he said the town could
