Perk grinned amiably, as though what his companion had just said made no difference to him – that he still wished from the bottom of his heart they were commissioned to undertake the dangerous task of breaking up the settlement in that so-called Paradise of fugitives.
“Don’t faize me any when yeou talk that way, boy,” he told his companion, with one of his amused chuckles that seemed to come up from his toes, “The more stuff yeou gotter bump up agin the better I like it – cain’t be too tough for a hill-billy like me – that’s what they calls the boys daown in the Ozarks, where I put in near a hull year huntin’ precious stones in the earth, an’ never findin’ enuff to git me my grub. Another o’ them memories as comes along withaout warnin’, to ha’nt me.”
“Perk, you promised me once that some fine day you’d make a start at that memory book, covering all your activities since you were knee-high to a duck – I’m going to press you to really start in doing the job, Perk; it will make a book well worth reading, if only half of all the adventures you’ve told me about are included. Now, don’t forget your promise, for I’ll hold you to it the next layoff we have float our way.”
“I sure hate to do it, partner; but seein’ I did give yeou my solemn word I s’pose I’ll jest have to keep my promise; but it’ll seem to me like a heap o’ blarney an’ boastin’. My loose tongue sure gets me into a nest o’ scrapes, which ain’t one bit pleasin’ to sech a shy gink as me.”
Ah! Perk’s eyes opened wider as he saw the other make a quick movement with his hand, as though suddenly remembering the mysterious letter thrust under the door of their room, and bearing that long blue stamp that signified special service, quick delivery to the person addressed.
Sure enough Jack drew the missive out, and proceeded to cut the end of the envelope, using a table knife for the purpose.
Shooting a quick glance across the table in the direction of his chum, he smiled slightly, as though very well knowing how Perk was eating his heart up with curiosity.
Perk stopped feeding, as his abstraction was so intense he hardly knew the way to his mouth – both eyes were glued on Jack’s face, as if he hoped to read the answer to the riddle there, a thing that had never as yet come within the scope of his knowledge, since Jack could hide his emotions under an assumed indifference that baffled interpretation.
It seemed that Jack had read every word of the letter, although there were several enclosures yet to be gone over; however he appeared as if he had picked up certain intelligence of such a drastic character as to make him sit there mulling it all over, and possibly trying to dovetail things together.
Perk, poor fellow, could stand the awful suspense no longer.
“Well, ole scout, ain’t yeou thinkin’ ’baout lettin’ me into the game – I somehaow take it fur granted there’s news come ’long that’s agoin’ to start us off agin follerin’ the air trails on the heels o’ some skunks what got themselves outside the law. Lay off, partner, an’ gimme a run fur my money, won’t yeou?”
CHAPTER V
The Cat is Out of the Bag
Jack looked at Perk, and smiled.
“I certainly must ask your pardon, old chap,” he hastened to say; “for keeping you in the dark so long. Fact is, what came to me in this letter gave me such food for thought I clean forgot you were my side partner, and entitled to my full confidence. Forgive it, Perk, wont you?”
“Sure thing, Jack; then I kinder guess the letter must be from Headquarters?”
“No other, Perk.”
“What’s in the wind this time?” demanded the other, eagerly; as though his nostrils could already sniff the burnt powder that went with action.
“That’s a fair question, and I’ll try to answer you,” said Jack. “It isn’t the mere fact that we’re ordered to duty once more, that I was thinking about just now, because such a thing comes along every once in so often in the exercise of our duties – but strangely enough our meeting up to-day with the family of a man we’d help put in jail doesn’t seem to bring our queer list of coincidences to a halt.”
“Hot-diggetty-dig! naow yeou got me a guessin’ good an’ hard, partner – go to it, an’ explain what yeou mean.”
“Well, it looks as if a wish you expressed only a short time ago was going to be fulfilled,” Jack told him.
“Haow come, buddy?” queried Perk.
“We were talking about a certain scoundrel who’s name we’ve seen so often of late in the papers – remember, Perk?”
An expression of sublime delight passed over the face of Gabe Perkiser; showing how he understood, and what a sense of exhileration the knowledge afforded him.
“Kinder guess naow, Jack, yeou might be meanin’ that same Ole King Cole like he goes to call hisself – the brazen guy that makes all kinds o’ fun o’ Secret Service mokes – is that the answer, brother?”
Jack nodded in a way that could have only one meaning.
“Okay, Perk; you’re on.
“Shake on that, young feller – it’s the most glorious news I ever did get outen Washington. If half what they says turns aout to be true, we’re in fur the hot time o’ aour life, seems like.”
“You never can tell, partner, which way the cat will jump – sometimes when you’re expecting an easy windup things get mighty tough; then again if you’re looking for a hard battle it sometimes turns out to be just a mere walkover – a flash in the pan. We have to take things as we find them, and let it go at that.”
“Ole King Cole sent aout his nasty defi to the hull Secret Service crowd, an’ so far he’s been able to give the boys the nasty grand laugh; but they say a pitcher may go to the well jest onct too many times – mebbe we might be the lucky ones to smash the same, pronto.”
“I’ve read that two different men of our staff have disappeared, after getting hot on the trail of this band of scoundrels; which goes to tell us they’re a hard-boiled bunch, who wont stop at committing any crime so as to keep out of the pen.”
Perk only grinned, as though the tougher they came the more he liked them.
“That’s all right Jack, I’m best suited when they make ’em that way,” he hastened to assure his chum; although really there was no need of his thus doing, since Jack knew him like a book, with all his good qualities, and shortcomings as well.
“Are you through eating?” asked the other; and on receiving an affirmative nod he continued: “all right, suppose we adjourn to our room for a conference, where we can be dead certain of not being overheard. There are a few other things to tell that may open your eyes still further, as they did mine; besides, the Big Boss enclosed a few clippings, and typed reports, for us to study, as he believes they will give us some important clues that are going to be of considerable help in tracking these outlaws to their den.”
“Gee whiz! things do seem to be headin’ aour way, don’t they though, Jack? Yeou said there might be a sudden turn in the game, an’ she sure enough did come hoppin’ ’long, to make me laugh, an’ feel so like singin’.”
“Well, please don’t start that racket here, partner; if ever they heard you singing they’d certainly put the bars against us; and we both like the chow in this same little restaurant, remember.”
“Go easy on a feller whose education in music must a been neglected when he was a kid. An’ Jack, mebbe so yeou’ll let me set my lamps on that ere document, onct we get indoors at aour quarters.”
“You’re going to know everything that I do, Perk; that goes without question;