You see, he could not
find the clasp in the dark. Then the child wakened and began to
cry. He clapped a hand over its mouth and carried the little girl
out of the room. Then he heard somebody moving about, lost his
nerve, and jumped on the horse that was waiting, saddled, at the
door. He took the child along simply because he had to in order
to get the chain and the secret he thought it held."
"Perhaps; but that does not prove it was not Dave."
"It's contributory evidence, seh. Your friend could have slipped
the chain from her neck any day, or he could have opened the
locket and taken the map. No need for him to steal in at night.
Do you happen to remember whether your little girl had any
particular aversion to the cook?"
The cattleman's forehead frowned in thought. "I do remember, now,
that she was afraid of him. She always ran screaming to her
mother when he tried to be friendly with her. He was a sour sort
of fellow."
"That helps out the case a heap, for it shows that he wanted to
make friends with her and she refused. He was thus forced to take
the chain when she was asleep instead of playing with her till he
had discovered the spring and could simply take the map.
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