hotel, Racey said to Swing Tunstall: "Might as well

own way! Have it yore own way! I never seen such a f

ill," said Racey, consolingl

Harpe at the hotel, n

on Luke Tweezy was dri

the money-lender would

k H

s greeting. "Seen Jack

ws lifted up in what would pass wit

k Ha

differently-too

yes, and a hawky kind of nose? Jack Harpe. Shore y

Tweezy after an inte

the best he could encompass at the moment). "I thought you knowed him.

ck Harpe?" probed Luke Tweezy, when he

" evaded Racey Dawson.

. "It don't matter a-tall. Have one on me, boys. Don't be afraid to fi

ime he was telling Luke Tweezy the most intimate details of his private life. Swing knew that these details were a string o

vacant table in the corner of the room. It was an amazing sight. Luke Tweezy the money-lender, the man who was supposed to sti

drunker. Swing Tunstall, slow in the uptake as usual, perceived nothing beyond the fact that Luke T

you thought I know

ke Tweezy's lap. "S'funny all right-an' that's fuf-funnier," he added as Luke and his chair scraped backward t

st smile. "It don't matter," he told Racey. "Not a-ta

remember,"

urged Luk

ey said, crossly. "Wha

lkin' so loose and free about

awson. "An' you are, too, y'old catawam

with an eye out for

uh-hundred doll

dred dollars! O

rove to say with dignit

n't got a hundred do

y insisted, weaving his head from

dunno. You

too bad-I mean that's two bub-boke brad-whistle twice for the crossing-I mean-Aw, hell, I know

ng for you I could in reason. You know damwell I would, but money's tight with me just now. I ain't

could you think it was

u know the child ai

?" Luke Tweezy beg

. "That child over there by the doorway-there in the streak o' sush-shine. Aw, th

elephants and snakes an

ee

ing Tunstall. "A ki

d me that money?" Racey

onest, I'd like to. No

ed just now it's pla

pose I'll have to touc

a have money. Gug-gott

-me. Shore they will g

iends, I

"friends" his toe presse

ends, too," continue

Dawson toe bore down u

end closely-so closely that he was able to catch th

blearily at Luke Tweezy. "Bub-best fuf-friends I ever had, them tut-two fellers. An' Old

generous person in the territory. Nor did it escape Racey Dawson that Luke Tweezy eyed him sharply as he made t

hat outfit is great friends o' mine. Juh-juh-just tut-to shuh-show yuh, Lul-luke. Ol' Man Sush-Saltoun let three punch

" complimente

instep. "I'm gonna tell him, Swing. He ain't no friend o' Jack Har

state that no clam co

Yuh bub-bet I do. Lul-lookit, Luke, lean over-" Here Racey pressed heavily on Swing's instep. Then, when Luke leaned forward, Racey did the same and possessed himself of the money-lender's ear by t

aned back in his chair, and breat

nd fingered tenderly a tingling ear. "Whatcha gonna take Harpe's job

t's why we're gonna ride for Jack Harpe." Grinning at the mystification of Luke Tweezy, he leaned forward

. Swing clapped a hand over Race

. "He dunno what he's talk

d him. Instead he bit him. This in order that Swing should pull his hand away in a

rpe done?" Luke Twe

t's what he's gug-gonna do. He's out to cuc-

commanded, and contrived to bang Racey's head against the wall with

e Tweezy and he had a parting drink together. Then the money-lender took what was left of the second bottle of whiskey-the first was but a memory-to the bar and endeavoured to chivvy a rebate out of the bartender. B

way's store. Then he returned to Racey's table. Racey turned his tousled head sidewise and whispered from a

business of shaking awake his drunken friend. "You don't wanna st

Tom Kane's new stable. Racey pulled off his boots, flopped down on the hay, and

two bottles of whiskey! Bet that'll lay heavy on his mind fo

was yore bright idea of tellin' Luke Tweezy we

'd kno

'! And you call me a thickskull! Which yore head has got mine snowed under that

saying they mightn't know as much as you do by yoreself. But not while you go

egarding the slur. "Hell's bells, if you'd bit Luke

re hand! I didn't bite you half as hard as I might have. Not half. You can still use the ha

u got us into a fine mess

right," Racey said with

f all them confidences about bein' busted and yore dear friends at the Bar S and how you and me was gonna pla

al friends and how we were gonna ride for Jack Harpe and watch him on their account. I wanted him to know those things, and I couldn't slam out and tell him dry so, could I? It woul

h, b

range. Aw right. While we're shore Jack Harpe wants to hire us to do his dirty work-which means being rubbed

what he was doin

easy and confidential w

Harpe wi

e will t

ke will run to him a-pa

orst already. So we'll

bright and early and te

benefit of

to ride for him," said the n

if he turns us down to-morrow after offering us the job yesterday, it'll not only give us the absolute proof we want, but it'll make him turn his wolf loose P D Q. And that last will be good medicine,

oddest number alla same I ever did see. All

y Dawson, grimly. "Jack

besides yore natural dislike?" Swing Tunstall at tim

r him, thassall." Much

y Da

at Moccasin Spring?" wa

say so."

o're foolin' Swing to a fare-you-well. Oh, yeah. It's the Dale's li'l ranch that's been worrying you alla time. I know. Racey's actually got a girl at last. I kind of suspicioned it, but I didn't think it was so heap bi

oking about in the hay in search of three shirt-buttons and his pocket knife, "lookit, Racey, you di

e to lead all yore trumps before you have to. I'm saving that about Dale to tell

won't say

will you bet he won't? Give you

l, shaking a decided head. "Yo'r