And that," she added, "is what all these cipher
messages for Saunders mean, very likely. Baumberger had to have
someone here to spy around for him and perhaps help him
choose--or at least get together--those eight men. They must
have come in on the night train, for I didn't see them. I'll bet
they're tough customers, every mother's son of them! Fighters
down to the ground, aren't they?"
"I only saw four. They were heeled, and ready for business, all
right," he told her. "Soon as I saw what the game was, and that
Baumberger was only playing for time and a free hand, I pulled
out. I thought Peppajee might give me something definite to go
on. He couldn't, though."
"Baumberger's going to steal that ranch according to law, you
see," Miss Georgie stated with conviction. "They've got to pan
out a sample of gold to prove there's pay dirt there, before they
can file their claims. And they've got to do their filing in
Shoshone. I suppose their notices are up O.K. I wonder, now,
how they intend to manage that? I believe," she mused, "they'll
have to go in person--I don't believe Baumberger can do that all
himself legally.
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