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Updated: June 3, 2025
"Ratty, I told you when you made me perfect in the use of my weapon I would pay you. My promise is sacred, and I will observe it with that scrupulous honour which has ever been the characteristic of the family; as soon as I hit something, and satisfy myself of my mastery over the weapon, the money shall be yours, but not till then." "Oh, very well," said Ratty; "go on then.
It's bad enough meeting trains in any case, without having to hang about a draughty station for an hour." "And it's sure, I should imagine," went on Freddie, pursuing his train of thought, "to make the dear old thing pretty tolerably ratty, if she has one of those slow journeys." He pottered back to the fireplace, and rubbed his shoulders reflectively against the mantelpiece.
From sunset to sunrise a relay of cowboys rode around the huge house and compound, and although Pete Marin, as Ratty M'Gill's friend from Mississippi was called, was still at large, there was no fear that he, or anybody else, would get into the hacienda at night. Frances, with all her duties, had less time to devote to Pratt's entertainment now.
'Smart piece of work that! he remarked to himself chuckling. 'Brain against brute force and brain came out on the top as it's bound to do. Poor old Ratty! My! won't he catch it when the Badger gets back! A worthy fellow, Ratty, with many good qualities, but very little intelligence and absolutely no education. I must take him in hand some day, and see if I can make something of him.
The very stars out there on the desert by the Boulder Soak seemed to say: 'There's trouble at home. Go home. There's trouble at home. But I never dreamed what that trouble was. One night I did make up my mind to start in the morning, but when the morning came I hadn't an excuse, and was ashamed to tell my mates the truth. They might have thought I was going ratty, like a good many go out there."
It was evidently used for dancing. There was a talking machine as well as a piano. The girl played the latter very nicely indeed. There were a few scratches on the floor of the room, and she saw Pratt looking at them. "I told Ratty M'Gill he shouldn't come in here with the rest of the boys to dance if he didn't take his spurs off," she said.
And how they've been and taken Toad Hall? continued the Rat. Toad leaned his elbows on the table, and his chin on his paws; and a large tear welled up in each of his eyes, overflowed and splashed on the table, plop! plop! 'Go on, Ratty, he murmured presently; 'tell me all. The worst is over. I am an animal again. I can bear it.
Hard cash, you know. What do you think about it now?" "Oh, well, you can collect it." "And keep it? Is that what you mean?" "Yes." "Well, this is odd. You're one of those sort they call eccentrics, I judge. The saying is, you mustn't judge a man by his clothes, and I'm believing it now. Why yours are looking just ratty, don't you know; and yet you must be rich." "I am."
Frances cried, "he was only asking out of good feeling." "I don't know that," growled the old ranchman. "I haven't forgotten that he was here in the house the night that other fellow tried to break in. Looks curious to me, Frances sure does!" She might have told him right then about Ratty M'Gill and the man Pete; but Frances was not an impulsive girl.
Gusty went on profiting by the early care of Edward O'Connor, whose friendship was ever his dearest possession; and Ratty, always wild, expressed a desire for leading a life of enterprise.
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