Warden watched until he saw
the two men enter the building--until he saw Moreton come out alone and
enter his office. Then Warden smiled and walked to the door of a room
in the rear of the saloon, where Singleton and several other men were
playing cards. He winked at Singleton, a signal correctly interpreted by
the other, whose eyes quickened. And then Warden returned to the front
window where, later, he was joined by Singleton; for a long time both of
them watched the southern sky, into which had crept a dull red glow,
faint, and far away.
"Antrim didn't lose any time!" commented Warden, exultantly. "And Della
can tell the truth to the sheriff whenever she gets ready!"
The other watcher was Della Wharton. She had seen the sheriff leave
town, to ride southward, and she had divined what his errand meant. And
she had sat in a chair near a window for many hours, peering into the
darkness for Moreton's return with his prisoner. And when she saw them
coming she smiled as she had smiled when she had entered the room after
taking leave of Warden.
Della knew Warden better than Warden knew himself; and on the night when
he had asked her to sign the statement charging Lawler with murder, she
was convinced that Warden intended to use the statement.
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