Star Toter by Al Cody Read Free Book Online Page A

house; they had just called Ray to the door and were questioning him. Locke paused, back out of sight where he could hear clearly.
    "Maybe I am," Ray said slowly. "Maybe I am a thief. What have you got on your minds?"
    "So you admit it, eh? It's as well you do, for we've got the goods on you, Ray. We've been looking around, and we sure found plenty."
    Ray seemed genuinely surprised. "I don't know what you're talking about," he protested. "I thought—but never mind that. But what have you found? Where?"
    "What we've found is loot from some of the robberies, and we found it right where you'd cached it. Take a look." One of the men thrust something forward.
    "This is a purse, one that I've seen plenty of times. It belonged to Rarus O'Toole. Rarus was stopped on the road about a month ago and robbed of two thousand dollars, and because he didn't have more than that, he was shot and left for dead. He told about it before he died— how he was shot by a masked man, just because he didn't have more gold. We found this pocketbook and a lot of other stuff in the bottom of a manger in the barn, down under a plank!"
    The object was a purse, long and red, the leather somewhat worn. Locke remembered Rarus O'Toole from the old days; he had seen the purse on several occasions, and it was too distinctive to be confused.
    "And here's stuff from Conway's place," the speaker went on. He was talking grimly, as though anxious to convince himself. "Here's a gold watch that Mis' Conway always carried when she came to town. This is a brooch, with a diamond in it. And we found near a thousand dollars, cash, in another part of the barn, and part of a poke of dust. Now what have you got to say about it?"
    Ray had listened, bewildered and incredulous at first, then with rising anger and dismay. "Is this what you were talking about?" he demanded. "Are you trying to accuse me of stealing this stuff, of being one of the outlaws? Why, Rarus was my friend."
    "Friend, was he? Well, this is your place, ain't it? You've had the running of it for years. And we found this stuff hid out."
    Ray regarded them bitterly. "Who sent you snooping around?" he demanded. "What right do you think you've got to come on my place, anyhow?"
    It might be a natural question, but it was poorly timed. Tempers were rising on both sides. The answer was impatient.
    "We've got plenty of right—not that any's needed to deal with your kind. But we're from the vigilance committee, and our aim is to put a stop to this sort of thing!" The speaker gestured with the red pocketbook.
    Locke was surprised at the answer, and Ray appeared equally so. "Vigilance committee?" he repeated. "I hadn't heard of anything of the sort."
    "If you was to live much longer, you'd hear of a lot of things," was the significant retort. "I guess you have a right to know by what right we're actin', though. We're vigilantes, actin' for the law—"
    "Law?" Ray's lip curled. "You sound like it! I happen to know that there's a new sheriff in the county, and he has a reputation for doing his own work. He didn't send you."
    "You're darn right he didn't send us. Whether or not he'd come after you if he knew about this, I wouldn't know. From what I've heard of him, I don't think he'd shirk, but it's a chore he wouldn't relish, the same as a lot of others that need doing, and we're going to help clean up this country. We're giving you a chance to talk. Better make use of it!"
    Ray had been startled and nervous, but his uneasiness seemed to have disappeared. Locke felt an unwilling admiration for the coolness he showed.
    "I'd like to hear some more about your side of it," Ray returned. "Where do you think you get any authority to band together to enforce law, without the sheriff even knowing of it? And how did you know just where to look to find stuff that I didn't know was hid around here?
That
I'd certainly like to know!"
    Another of the group, silent until then, supplied the answer.
    "Steele told us—"
    "Shut up, you