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.