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I could have kicked him for that pleasantry if he had not been just then too important a personage to kick. As it was, his chance remark knocked my errand out of my head, momentarily. "How's the old man, Ros?" he whispered. "They tell me it's brought on by high livin', champagne wine and such. Is it?" "Phin," said I, ignoring the question, "would you stay up all night for twenty dollars?"
Leaping forward, with all the adroitness of the born tackler, he caught that cane, just as it descended, and wrenched it out of Phin Drayne's cowardly, hand. Crack! Dick broke it in two across his knee, then tossed the pieces into the street. "You'll never be able to do anything better than a sneaky act," muttered Dick contemptuously, turning to walk on.
She stood before him, quite silent for a moment, her eyes cast down, and a painful blush overspreading her artless face; then, in a trembling, hesitating voice, she began "Will yer honor plase no, may it plase yer lord-lieutenantship to let our poor Phin go! Sure, with all these fine soldiers you'll never miss him, and then" here she stammered and broke quite down.
In the Phin family the person who does not hold his plate down runs the risk of losing it to one of the other children or to the dogs, who, with eager eye and reminding paw, gather round the hospitable board, licking their chops hopefully. I enjoy these scenes very much, but, alas! I can no longer witness them as often as formerly. This morning Mrs. Phin greeted me with some embarrassment.
Because, if you think so," wound up Reade, "go ahead and put Phin in the running, to be sure." With that Tom marched off back to his chums. "What have you been up to?" asked Dick curiously. "I'm manager for you two half-witted fellows, ain't I?" queried Reade. "What have you been saying to Mr. Drayne?" asked Dave.
To them there was really little in life that did not come through the government military academies. Phin Drayne, lounging about purposely, with the shambling gait, often saw these happy chums, and scowled after them. "Everything seems to come to them!" growled Phin. "What rot it is to say that this is a square world, and that everyone has the same chance! Why doesn't something good come my way?"
"Explain this all over again, to us, won't you?" shouted the chief, pushing open the door of the junk shop and striding in, backed by the light and the revolver of Officer Delmar. "What?" screamed Phin Drayne, then sank to his knees in the extremity of his terror. "Don't either of you try to put up any fight," warned the chief. "Delmar, here are my handcuffs to put with your own.
He was in the depot this noon sendin' a telegram and I asked him about you. 'Is Ros sick? I says. 'Huh! says he you know how he grunts, Ros; for all the world like a hog 'Huh! says he, 'sick! No, but I cal'late he'll be pretty sick afore long. What did he mean by that, do you s'pose?" I knew, but I did not explain. I made no reply. "Twas a queer sort of talk, seemed to me," continued Phin.
"I thought Phin was in here amusin' you the whole time with lies about him an' Dan'l Boone. He used to hunt with old Dan'l when he was a boy, an' if ever'thing happened to them two fellers that he sez happened, why, Phin'd have to be nearly two hundred years old by now an' there wouldn't be a live animal or Indian between here an' the Gulf of Mexico." She seemed a little uneasy.
The odd expression was still on his face. Jed turned to the other two. "Er er Major Grover," he said, "if if you hear any yarns now about money bein' missin' or or stolen you can contradict 'em now, can't you?" "I certainly can and will." "And you'll contradict 'em, too, eh, Phin?" Babbitt jerked his shoulder from Grover's grasp and strode to the door. "Let me out of here," he snarled.
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