The constable was fat, and he was sleepy. He wheezed when he spoke. And he spoke quite a bit as they started off, he and the man in the yellow suit. “First they roust me out of bed in the middle of the night, after I been out since sun-up looking for that child, and now I s’pose you’re going to try to run me all the way,” he said sourly. “I got to tell you this horse of mine is none too strong. I don’t have to hurry her as a rule, so most of the time it don’t matter. Seems to me we could’ve waited till dawn, anyway.”
The man in the yellow suit was as courteous as always. “The Fosters have been waiting since yesterday morning,” he pointed out. “Naturally, they’re very upset. The sooner we get there, the sooner that child will be with them again.”
“How come you’re so deep in it?” asked the constable suspiciously. “Maybe you’re in cahoots with the kidnappers, how do I know? You should of reported it right off, when you saw her get snatched.”
The man in the yellow suit sighed. “But of course I had to find out where they were taking her,” he explained patiently. “I came right back after that. And the Fosters are friends of mine. They’ve—uh—sold me their wood.”
The constable’s eyes went round. “I’ll be!” he said. “What do you know about that! I didn’t suppose they’d ever do a thing like that, friend or no friend. They’re the first family around here, you know. Proud as peacocks, all of ’em. Family-proud, and land-proud, too. But they sold off, did they? Well, well.” And he whistled in amazement.
They thumped along in silence for a while, out around the wood and across the star-lit meadow. Then the constable yawned deeply and said, “You ready to tell me how long this is going to take? How far we got to go?”
“Twenty miles north,” said the man in the yellow suit.
The constable groaned. “Twenty miles!” He shifted the shotgun that rested across his saddle, and groaned again. “Clear up in the foothills? That’s a fair way, all right.”
There was no reply to this. The constable ran his fingers down the gleaming barrel of the shotgun. Then he shrugged, and slumped a little in the saddle. “Might as well relax,” he wheezed, suddenly companionable. “We’ll be riding three, four hours.”
Still there was no reply.
“Yessir,” said the constable, trying again. “It’s something new for these parts, kidnapping. Never had a case like this before that I know of, and I been in charge going on fifteen years.”
He waited.
“You don’t say so,” his companion said at last.
“Yep, that’s a fact,” said the constable, with evident relief. Maybe now there would be some conversation! “Yep, fifteen years. Seen a lot of trouble in fifteen years, but nothing quite like this. ’Course, there’s a first time for everything, as they say. We got a brand-new jailhouse, did you notice? Listen, it’s a dandy! Give those folks nice clean accommodations.” He chuckled. “ ’Course, they won’t be there long. Circuit judge’ll be coming through next week. He’ll send ’em over to Charleyville, most likely, to the county jail. That’s what they do for your serious crimes. ’Course, we got a gallows of our own, if we ever need it. Keeps down trouble, I think, just having it there. Ain’t ever used it yet. That’s because they take care of the serious stuff over to Charleyville, like I say.”
The constable paused to light a cigar, and went on cheerfully: “What you got planned for that piece of Foster land? Going to clear her? Put up a house, or a store, maybe?”
“No,” said the man in the yellow suit.
The constable waited for more, but there was no more. His sour mood returned. He frowned and shook the ashes from his cigar. “Say,” he said. “You’re kind of a close-lipped feller, ain’t you?”
The man in the yellow suit narrowed his eyes. His mouth, above the thin gray beard, twitched with annoyance. “Look here,” he said tightly. “Would you mind if I rode on ahead? I’m worried about that child. I’ll tell you how to get there, and I’ll go on ahead and keep watch.”
“Well,” said the constable grudgingly, “all right, if you’re in such a ding-danged hurry. But don’t do nothing till I get there. Those folks are likely dangerous. I’ll try to keep up, but this horse of mine, she’s none too strong. Don’t see as how I could get her to a gallop, even if I tried.”
“That’s right,” said the man in the yellow suit. “So I’ll go on ahead, and wait outside the house till you get there.”
He explained the route carefully, then dug his heels into the flanks of the fat old horse, cantering off into the darkness where just a hint of dawn glowed on the edges of the hills far ahead.
The constable chewed on the end of his cigar. “Humph,” he said to his horse. “Did you get a gander at that suit of clothes? Oh, well, it takes all kinds, as they say.” And he followed slowly after, yawning, the gap between him and the man ahead lengthening with every mile.
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