CHAPTER XXXVI
THE LOOT
In the heat of the threats and counterthreats which had been inprogress, none of the occupants of the room had heard the newestarrival thunder up to the porch and leap from the saddle to thesteps.
Eagen was dumfounded by Rathburn's sudden appearance. He saw that thegirl was standing now in a front corner of the room, with her handscrossed on her breast, a look of horror in her eyes. Slowly Eagenrecovered and loosed his hold on Doane, who staggered weakly to thetable and leaned upon it. Eagen's sneer returned to his thick lips,and his narrowed gaze traveled quickly to a sack which Rathburn heldin his left hand. Eagen's eyes shone with fury.
"Come here to fix up the divvy!" he choked. "I knew it was a put-upjob between you an' Doane, an' I figured you'd maybe meet aroun' herewhere Doane would be sure to come to try an' take this woman withhim."
Rathburn eyed him calmly. There was something of a deadly calm in hisvery posture, as he stood just within the threshold. He looked pastEagen to Doane. Then he tossed the sack on the table.
"Here's the money I took this morning, Doane," he said in matter-of-facttones. "I came here to turn it over to you."
With bulging eyes Doane stared at him.
Eagen laughed loudly. "That's rich! Tryin' to make me think you wasgoin' to give it _all_ to him? Don't you figure, Mr. Coyote, that Ican throw my rope aroun' a simple scheme like you an' that shiveringrat over by the table cooked up? That's why you turned down my littleproposition last night. It was this same deal--only, _me_, an' Doanethere was goin' to put it over. You figured I'd cut you out of yourdivvy, an' you figured right; he suspected I might double cross him,an' maybe he was right, too. So he cooked it up with you to pull therobbery, thinkin' you'd be more likely to go through an' give him hisend. But the pair of you figured too many points when you thought Iwouldn't catch on."
"That was what your proposition was to be, was it?" asked Rathburnpleasantly. "Rob the bank? Why, I didn't need a gang to rob the bank,Eagen, an' I didn't have anybody in with me. The trouble with you isthat you've got too much imagination."
The drawl in which Rathburn concluded his speech drove Eagen to afrenzy.
"You lie, Rathburn!"
Rathburn smiled. "I might as well tell you that I intended to get awaywith that money that's on the table, Eagen. That's what I took it for.I'm making this little statement because something's liable to happento one, or both of us. I didn't know Doane was cashier of the bankwhen I took it. I only recently learned that fact. Then I brought itback to turn over to him, not so much on his account as on account ofMiss Mallory. I understand Doane is a very good friend of MissMallory. I wouldn't want his bank hurt for that reason."
It was Laura Mallory who cried out at this. She walked towardRathburn, although he did not look at her.
"Why did you do it, Roger?" she asked in a trembling voice.
"I can't tell you _that_, ma'am," he said.
"But I know!" she cried. "I've guessed it. You saw Mr. Doane and metogether in Hope to-day and remembered he was at the ranch last night,and----"
"Don't say any more, Laura!" Rathburn commanded sternly.
"Be still, daughter; it's best," said Mallory.
"Neither she, nor you, nor Doane, nor all of you together can talk meout of it!" roared Eagen. "It was a frame-up!"
In the deadly stillness that followed, Laura Mallory shrank back fromthe sight of two gunmen looking steadily into each other's eyes, theirhands ready for the lightning draw--each waiting for the merestsuggestion of the beginning of a move on the part of the other to gethis weapon into action. But the draws did not come. The pregnantsilence was broken by the thundering roll of many horses gallopinginto the yard about the house.
"There!" yelled Eagen in a voice of triumph. "There's your sweetlittle posse, Coyote!"
"I expected to see Bob Long when I came down here!" said Rathburncoolly, looking at Laura Mallory for the first time.
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