Smoky bobbin' up ag'in' my new man--thet's serious. Now let's lay the cards on the table. . . . Jim, do you want to declare yourself?"
"I'm willing to answer questions--unless they get nasty," replied Jim, frankly. He had anticipated some such circumstance as this, and really welcomed it.
"Will you tell the truth?" queried Slocum, bluntly.
"I'll agree to--if I answer at all," rejoined Jim, slowly.
"How do you size up Hank an' his outfit?" went on Slocum.
"Well, that was easy, as far as Hank is concerned," replied Wall, leisurely. "We met at the ferry on Green River. A third party came over with us. Stingy Mormon who swam his horses to save two bits. Hank held him up."
"Wal, I'll be jiggered!" ejaculated Slocum. "Right thar in town?
An' a Mormon, too!"
"Smoky, it was a fool thing to do, but I just couldn't help it," declared Hays, in exasperation.
"We'll be huntin' a roost in the canyons before long," declared Slocum, derisively. And then he addressed Wall again: "Thet puts another complexion on your showin' up with Hank. All the same, since we started this, I'd like to ask a couple more questions."
"Shoot away, Smoky," rejoined Jim, good-humoredly, as he sensed now less danger of a split.
"You got run out of Wyomin'?"
"No. But if I'd stayed on I'd probably stretched hemp."
"Rustlin'?"
"No."
"Hoss-stealin'? Thet hoss of yours is worth stealin'."
"No."
"Hold up a stage or somebody?"
"No. Once I helped hold up a bank. That was years ago."
"Bank robber! You're out of our class, Jim."
"Hardly that. It was my first and only crack at a bank. Two of us got away. Then we held up a train--blew open the safe in the express car."
"What'd you get?" queried Slocum, with an intense interest which was reflected in the faces of his comrades.
"Not much. Only sixty thousand dollars in gold. It was hard to pack away."
Smoky's low whistle attested to his admiration, if no more. The others stood spellbound. Mac rubbed his suggestive hands together.
Jim turned to them: "That, gentlemen, is the extent of my experience as a robber. I was never caught, but the thing dogged.
Still, I don't want to give the impression I left Wyoming on that account. As a matter of fact, both deals were pulled off in Iowa.
Something personal made Wyoming too hot for me."
"Women!" grinned Hays, his face lighting.
"No."
"Guns?" flashed Slocum, penetratingly.
Jim laughed. "One gun, anyhow."
They all laughed. The tension seemed released.
"Smoky, I call it square of Wall," spoke up Hays. "He shore didn't need to come clean as thet."
"It's all right," agreed Slocum, as if forced to fair judgment.
Yet he was not completely satisfied, and perhaps that was with himself.
Hays plumped off the porch rail with boots ringing his relief and satisfaction. "Now, fellers, we can get to work."
"Work! My Gawd! man, we've been druv to skin an' bones since you left," complained Mac.
"What doin'?" asked Hays, in surprise.
"Doin'? Diggin' ditches an' post-holes, cuttin' an' snakin' poles, mixin' mortar, packin' rocks, killin' beeves. Say, fellers, what ain't we been doin'?"
"Wal, you're cowboys now," returned Hays, facetiously. "An' thet reminds me. Herrick puts a lot of things up to me. I ain't no cattleman. Jim, do you know the cattle game?"
"From A to Z," smiled Wall.
"Say, but I'm in luck. We'll run the ranch now. Who's been boss since I left?"
"Herrick. An' thet shore made Heeseman an' his outfit sore.
There's trouble brewin' with him, Hank. We got to get rid of him an' his pards before we can pull any deals."
"Listen, I've only one deal in mind," replied Hays, powerfully.
"Thet'll take time."
"How much time?" queried Lincoln.
"I don't know. Ought to have a couple of months. . . . Shore Heeseman sticks in my craw. We'll have a powwow tonight. I'll go see the boss. Rest of you get to work. Haw! Haw!"
"What'll I do, Hank?" asked Jim.
"Wal, you look the whole diggin's over."
Jim lost no time in complying with his first order from the
"I'm willing to answer questions--unless they get nasty," replied Jim, frankly. He had anticipated some such circumstance as this, and really welcomed it.
"Will you tell the truth?" queried Slocum, bluntly.
"I'll agree to--if I answer at all," rejoined Jim, slowly.
"How do you size up Hank an' his outfit?" went on Slocum.
"Well, that was easy, as far as Hank is concerned," replied Wall, leisurely. "We met at the ferry on Green River. A third party came over with us. Stingy Mormon who swam his horses to save two bits. Hank held him up."
"Wal, I'll be jiggered!" ejaculated Slocum. "Right thar in town?
An' a Mormon, too!"
"Smoky, it was a fool thing to do, but I just couldn't help it," declared Hays, in exasperation.
"We'll be huntin' a roost in the canyons before long," declared Slocum, derisively. And then he addressed Wall again: "Thet puts another complexion on your showin' up with Hank. All the same, since we started this, I'd like to ask a couple more questions."
"Shoot away, Smoky," rejoined Jim, good-humoredly, as he sensed now less danger of a split.
"You got run out of Wyomin'?"
"No. But if I'd stayed on I'd probably stretched hemp."
"Rustlin'?"
"No."
"Hoss-stealin'? Thet hoss of yours is worth stealin'."
"No."
"Hold up a stage or somebody?"
"No. Once I helped hold up a bank. That was years ago."
"Bank robber! You're out of our class, Jim."
"Hardly that. It was my first and only crack at a bank. Two of us got away. Then we held up a train--blew open the safe in the express car."
"What'd you get?" queried Slocum, with an intense interest which was reflected in the faces of his comrades.
"Not much. Only sixty thousand dollars in gold. It was hard to pack away."
Smoky's low whistle attested to his admiration, if no more. The others stood spellbound. Mac rubbed his suggestive hands together.
Jim turned to them: "That, gentlemen, is the extent of my experience as a robber. I was never caught, but the thing dogged.
Still, I don't want to give the impression I left Wyoming on that account. As a matter of fact, both deals were pulled off in Iowa.
Something personal made Wyoming too hot for me."
"Women!" grinned Hays, his face lighting.
"No."
"Guns?" flashed Slocum, penetratingly.
Jim laughed. "One gun, anyhow."
They all laughed. The tension seemed released.
"Smoky, I call it square of Wall," spoke up Hays. "He shore didn't need to come clean as thet."
"It's all right," agreed Slocum, as if forced to fair judgment.
Yet he was not completely satisfied, and perhaps that was with himself.
Hays plumped off the porch rail with boots ringing his relief and satisfaction. "Now, fellers, we can get to work."
"Work! My Gawd! man, we've been druv to skin an' bones since you left," complained Mac.
"What doin'?" asked Hays, in surprise.
"Doin'? Diggin' ditches an' post-holes, cuttin' an' snakin' poles, mixin' mortar, packin' rocks, killin' beeves. Say, fellers, what ain't we been doin'?"
"Wal, you're cowboys now," returned Hays, facetiously. "An' thet reminds me. Herrick puts a lot of things up to me. I ain't no cattleman. Jim, do you know the cattle game?"
"From A to Z," smiled Wall.
"Say, but I'm in luck. We'll run the ranch now. Who's been boss since I left?"
"Herrick. An' thet shore made Heeseman an' his outfit sore.
There's trouble brewin' with him, Hank. We got to get rid of him an' his pards before we can pull any deals."
"Listen, I've only one deal in mind," replied Hays, powerfully.
"Thet'll take time."
"How much time?" queried Lincoln.
"I don't know. Ought to have a couple of months. . . . Shore Heeseman sticks in my craw. We'll have a powwow tonight. I'll go see the boss. Rest of you get to work. Haw! Haw!"
"What'll I do, Hank?" asked Jim.
"Wal, you look the whole diggin's over."
Jim lost no time in complying with his first order from the
Similar Books
