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"Oh, sure!" Wally gave his characteristic little snort. "We're only just standing around to see how fast the cabbages grow!" Baumberger advanced boldly across the dead line. "Stanley, put down that gun, and explain your presence here and your object," he rumbled. "Let's get at this thing right end to. First, what are you doing here?"
Me hear talk. Stoppum no can see me hear much bad talk. All time me hear, heap likum for steal dis ranch. Me no sabe" his tone was doubtful for a space "all same, me hear stealum this ranch. Man, you callum " "Baumberger?" suggested Grant. "Him. All same Baumberga, him talk Man-that-coughs. All time say stealum ranch. Makum much bad talk, them mans.
At the road he met Jack and Wally, just returning from the orchard. "No use going down there," Jack informed him sulkily. "They're just laying in the shade with their guns handy, doing nothing. They won't let anybody cross their line, and they won't say anything not even when you cuss 'em. Wally and I got black in the face trying to make them come alive. Baumberger got back yet?
It proved to be a message for Baumberger, and she wrote it down in a spiteful scribble which left it barely legible. "Betraying professional secrets, but I don't care," she exclaimed, turning swiftly toward him. "Listen to this: "'How's fishing? Landed the big one yet? Ready for fry?" She threw it down upon the table with a pettish gesture that was wholly feminine.
He hates Baumberger, and he'd like to git something on him. I don't want Baumberger should know anything about it, though. He takes it for granted I swallow whole everything he says and does but I don't. Not by a long shot. Black'll ferret out any crooked work." "He's a dandy if he catches Baumberger," Miss Georgie averred, gloomily. "I tried a little detective work on my own account.
Baumberger it was, and he stopped midway to light his pipe, and so, puffing luxuriously, went on into the blackness of the grove. They heard him step softly upon the porch, heard also the bovine sigh with which he settled himself in the armchair there.
"I reckon I'll have to do some washin' myself, though, before I feel satisfied there ain't." "Then you haven't panned out anything yet?" Phoebe caught him up. Stanley's eyes flickered a questioning glance at Baumberger, and Baumberger puffed out his chest and said: "The law won't permit you to despoil this man's property without good reason. We can serve an injunction "
Me no sabe why him walk, walk in night me heap watchum." "You mean Baumberger? He's all right. He comes down here to catchum many fish trout, up in the Malad, you sabe. Heap friend Peaceful. You no likum?" "Kay bueno." Peppajee rested a forefinger upon Good Indian's arm. "Sun up there," he pointed high in the west. "Me go all same Hartley. Come stable Pete stable me walkum close no makum noise.
"I saw it coming, when it first heaved in sight," chirped Miss Georgie, in a more cheerful tone than she had used that day; in too cheerful a tone to be quite convincing, if any one there had been taking notice of mere tones. "Guess that bobcat was after my ducks again, last night," commented Phoebe Hart, when she handed Baumberger his cup of coffee.
Peaceful, coming out half an hour after with Baumberger at his heels, found him so and made a movement to sit down beside him. But Peppajee rose and stalked majestically to the gate, then turned and confronted the two. "I talk yo'. Mebbyso no talk Man-with-big-belly." He waited impassively. "All right, Jim." Peaceful turned apologetically toward his guest.
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