CHAPTER X
The Holdup
Connie's first impulse was to spur Silvertail into a gallop and try toride by the holdup man. But an instant's reflection convinced her thatsuch a course would be sheer folly. He might coolly shoot her down.
"Hurry up and hand over that money!" the man commanded again.
Connie was certain she had heard the voice somewhere before. From thestrained manner in which the man spoke she believed that he wasdisguising his normal tone.
"What money?" she asked, stalling for time.
"Don't try to bluff," retorted the man curtly. "I know you have itpinned inside your shirt pocket. Will you give it up or shall I takeit?"
He urged his horse a pace closer. Connie slowly reached up as if tounpin the roll of money. But the thought of handing over her earningswas more than she could bear.
Suddenly, throwing caution to the wind, she spurred her horse.Silvertail lunged forward.
The holdup man laughed harshly as he seized the horse's bridle bringinghim up so sharply that Connie was nearly unseated.
"Oh, no you don't!" he said.
Connie felt the cold muzzle of a revolver press against her side. Herdetermination to save the money at all cost ebbed quickly away. Shereached up and unpinned the roll of money.
The holdup man jerked it from her hand.
"Now dismount!" he commanded.
Connie hesitated and then slowly obeyed.
The masked man gave Silvertail a sharp clip with his quirt which sentthe horse racing down the road. Then with a mock bow to Connie, hewheeled his own pony, and disappeared into the brush. For severalminutes the girl could hear the thud of hoofs and then all was quiet.
Connie stood in the middle of the road, too stunned to move. Every pennyof the money she had won at the rodeo was gone! And likewise lost wasthe hundred dollars given her by Mr. Postil as an advance on his boardand room.
After a moment Connie started on down the road. She had a long,discouraging walk ahead of her for the nearest habitation was Slocer'sRanch, a full mile away.
"This is the cruelest thing that ever happened," Connie told herselfbitterly as she trudged along. "All my hopes ended!"
A half hour later she pounded on the door of the Slocer ranch house.Connie knew the owners well although she had not seen them since herreturn from the East. They were two bachelor brothers who worked theranch in partnership.
George Slocer, a man with a bushy red beard, opened the door. For amoment he did not recognize Connie.
"May I use your telephone?" she asked quickly. "It's terriblyimportant."
"Why, if it isn't Connie Carl!" exclaimed the rancher. "Come right in.You didn't walk all the way here?"
"Yes, from Eagle Pass! I was held up."
Connie related what had occurred. Then she telephoned the sheriff'soffice in Red Gulch, asking him to send a posse at once to search forthe man.
"We'll saddle up and do a little huntin' ourselves," George Slocerpromised. "That's the lowest trick I ever heard tell about. Stealing agal's money!"
"I don't believe there's a chance of catching the man now," Connie saidglumly. "He's had a good half hour's start."
"Did you get a look at him?" the rancher asked.
"Not really. It was so dark and he kept the handkerchief over his face."
"Didn't recognize the hoss?"
"No, it was a dark pony about Silvertail's size. I'm sure it must havebeen some man who knew me because he disguised his voice."
"Likely someone who knew you were carrying the money on your person. Doyou remember tellin' anyone you were cashin' the check?"
"Why, no--" Connie said, and then recalled that she had spoken to JimBarrows. He had warned her that she was acting unwisely, but she hadtaken his advice lightly.
"Several persons were standing near when I cashed the check at the rodeooffice," she ended, "but I don't remember anyone in particular."
"I reckon your money is gone, Connie," the rancher admitted, buckling onhis gun belt. "But there's a chance the sheriff may catch the fellow."
The Slocer brothers loaned the girl a horse so that she might ride on toRainbow Ranch while they went to join the sheriff's posse.
When Connie finally rode into the courtyard Marie came running out tomeet her. The Mexican girl was relieved to see her young mistress, forsome minutes before Silvertail had galloped up to the gate without arider.
"Oh, I'm glad Silvertail came home," Connie said in relief. "But Ithought he would."
She told Marie what had happened and asked if the cowboys had returnedfrom Red Gulch. No one was back.
Connie took the borrowed horse to the barn and unsaddled him. Then,feeling discouraged and fairly ill, she went to her own room. Marierapped a few minutes later and brought in a tray of food and a hotdrink.
"You are so kind, Marie," Connie said gratefully. "Perhaps food willmake me feel better."
She had eaten no lunch or supper, yet she did not feel hungry. Butrather than disappoint the Mexican girl, she made a pretense of enjoyingthe food.
"What am I to do now?" Connie thought when she was alone once more. "Mr.Postil arrives Monday and nothing will be ready for him. I've acceptedhis money so I can't turn him away, yet for two weeks he'll be afinancial liability rather than an asset."
After tossing for more than an hour on her pillow the girl at last fellasleep. She was so exhausted that she did not awaken until morning.
Connie went downstairs to learn that news of her misfortune had precededher. The cowboys came to offer their sympathy. Later in the morningGeorge Slocer rode in to report that the sheriff's posse had been unableto find a trace of the holdup man.
"Oh, the money is gone all right," Connie said gloomily. "Perhaps itserved me right for carrying so much on my person."
She was leaning dejectedly against the corral bars when Lefty came totalk with her.
"I wish there was somethin' we could do to help you," he said.
Connie hesitated and then without looking directly at Lefty repliedquickly:
"I hate to ask this, Lefty, but I know you picked up a tidy bit of moneyyesterday at the rodeo. Would you lend it to me for a few weeks?"
"I sure would, Connie, if I had any left," the cowboy answered. "I'mplumb ashamed to tell you but me and Alkali did a little celebratin'.We're both busted flat."
"That seems to be a common ailment around Rainbow Ranch," Connie saidruefully.
"Why don't you ask Jim Barrows?"
"Oh, I wouldn't do that," Connie replied quickly. "Besides, he hasn'tany money."
"You're wrong there, Connie. I saw him countin' a big roll this morningin the bunk house."
"I don't know where he'd get it," Connie said, frowning thoughtfully."He was stony broke when he came here, and he's not even received hiswages since then. What do you think of Jim, Lefty?"
"Oh, I guess he's all right. He minds his own business and that'ssomethin'."
"I like him too," said Connie. "Lefty, I'm thinking of giving you andJim new jobs. I suppose you've heard about my idea to turn this placeinto a dude ranch?"
"Yeh, I did hear somethin' about it, but I figgered you wouldn't doanything rash like that."
"I don't believe it's a rash idea at all," Connie said, smiling. "If Ihadn't been held up everything would have worked out beautifully. Butnow I'm in the business whether I like it or not. My first prize dudearrives Monday, and there may be others."
"What's this new job?" Lefty asked uneasily.
"You and Jim are to wrangle the dudes--if we snare any. I thought youcould take Mr. Postil riding and fishing. And we'll plan special littleover-night camping trips--anything to keep folks entertained."
"Look here, Connie," Lefty began to protest, but his voice trailed offas Forest Blakeman swung into view.
The foreman, still smarting from his recent humiliation at the rodeo,was in a bad mood.
"You might do a little work, Lefty, instead of
loafing around allmorning," he said curtly. "Get those calves watered."
"They're already watered," Lefty muttered but he moved away from thecorral.
The foreman turned to Connie, making no attempt to disguise hisannoyance.
"A nice mess we're in now, Miss Connie! It seems to me you might haveconsulted me before you decided to turn this place into a dude ranch!Just how do you think we'll be able to feed and entertain a house fullof guests when we can't even pay our regular help?"
"Everything would have turned out all right if only I hadn't beenrobbed."
"Aren't you forgetting that the sixteenth of the month isn't far away?"
"Oh, I'm beaten," Connie acknowledged. "I realize that. There's nochance my money will ever be recovered."
The foreman was silent for a moment. Then he said in a lowered tone:
"I don't suppose it ever occurred to you to question Jim Barrows?"
"To question him? About his personal affairs?"
"They'd bear investigation all right," Blakeman replied grimly. "But Iwasn't referring to that. I meant about what he was doing yesterday andwhere he got that big roll of money."
"I suppose at the rodeo----"
"That's what he claims," Blakeman said shortly. "I have a differentopinion."
"Just what are you trying to suggest?" Connie asked. "I know you'venever liked Jim Barrows."
"That has nothing to do with it. But there's no use trying to convinceyou he's bad medicine."
"If you have the slightest evidence against him I'll certainly listen toit," Connie replied coldly. "What do you think the man has done?"
The foreman looked quickly about to make certain no one was withinhearing distance. Then he said tersely:
"Jim Barrows is a sneak and a crook! He was the masked man who held youup at Eagle Pass!"