“But I knew how violent he was,” the fat man went on.  “So I slipped my six-gun into my pocket before we started.”

“What kind of a gun?” Kirby asked.

“A sawed-off .38.”

“Do you own an automatic?”

“No, sir.  Wouldn’t know how to work one.  Never had one in my hands.”

“You’ll get a chance to prove that,” Olson jeered.

“He doesn’t have to prove it.  His statement is assumed to be true until it is proved false,” Kirby answered.

Hull’s eyes signaled gratitude.  He was where he needed a friend badly.  He would be willing to pay almost any price for Lane’s help.

“Cunningham had left the door open, I reckon because it was hot.  I started to push the bell, but Mrs. Hull she walked right in an’ of course then I followed.  He wasn’t in the sittin’-room, but we seen him smokin’ in the small room off’n the parlor.  So we just went in on him.

“He acted mean right from the start—­hollered at Mrs. Hull what was we doin’ there.  She up an’ told him, real civil, that we wanted to talk the business over an’ see if we couldn’t come to some agreement about it.  He kep’ right on insultin’ her, an’ one thing led to another.  Mrs. Hull she didn’t get mad, but she told him where he’d have to head in at.  Fact is, we’d about made up our minds to sue him.  Well, he went clean off the handle then, an’ said he wouldn’t do a thing for us, an’ how we was to get right out.”

Hull paused to wipe the small sweat beads from his forehead.  He was not enjoying himself.  A cold terror constricted his heart.  Was he slipping a noose over his own head?  Was he telling more than he should?  He wished his wife were here to give him a hint.  She had the brains as well as the courage and audacity of the family.

“Well, sir, I claim self-defense,” Hull went on presently.  “A man’s got no call to stand by an’ see his wife shot down.  Cunningham reached for a drawer an’ started to pull out an automatic gun.  Knowin’ him, I was scared.  I beat him to it an’ lammed him one over the head with my gun.  My idea was to head him off from drawin’ on Mrs. Hull, but I reckon I hit him harder than I’d aimed to.  It knocked him senseless.”

“And then?” Kirby said, when he paused.

“I was struck all of a heap, but Mrs. Hull she didn’t lose her presence of mind.  She went to the window an’ pulled down the curtain.  Then we figured, seein’ as how we’d got in bad so far, we might as well try a bluff.  We tied yore uncle to the chair, intendin’ for to make him sign a check before we turned him loose.  Right at that time the telephone rang.”

“Did you answer the call?”

“Yes, sir.  It kept ringing.  Finally the wife said to answer it, pretendin’ I was Cunningham.  We was kinda scared some one might butt in on us.  Yore uncle had said he was expectin’ some folks.”

“What did you do?”