The effect of these words on Perk was electrical—he started as though he had been shot, stared hard at his companion, then grinned broadly, and gave vent to his feelings in a suppressed roar—as near as he dared under such sensitive conditions.
“Well, well, well—hot-diggetty-dig! what a blind loon I am, not to ’ve s’pected that same! Yeou mean that boob was no other than Slippery Slim hisself, the Ole Scratch we’re runnin’ after right at this minute, doant yeou, partner mine? Glory be! what a great chanct we lost o’ fillin’ aout aour job in the start—why, we could aturned back to the ship, gone aboard, an’ cut loose at two miles a minute fur the home airport, with him safely bagged.”
“On the other hand, Perk, we might have given ourselves away, and let him slip out of our hands; when it would be ten times as hard to capture him as if he didn’t dream we were around this district. Depend on it this is all for the best—we’ll imitate the hungry wolf, and lie in ambush until such time as we can pounce down on Slim, and carry him off unbeknown to the balance of the gang.”
“Yeah! I kinder guess that’s ’baout the ticket, partner; but it gives me a bad case o’ the willies jest to think haow close we was, an’ let ’em skip aout. Gee! I’m in a cold sweat, drat the luck!”
“While I was listening to his coarse language, and hard rasping laugh,” Jack went on to say, softly; “do you know what came into my mind—a picture of that cottage in the suburb of San Diego, where we took that clever little lad we managed to keep from falling into the jaws of the mad dog.”
“I’ve thought o’ the same many times since we left town,” Perk declared, in a sincere tone that bespoke his feelings in the matter. “Nice ole lady, too; an’ it gets me jest haow a boy could treat sech a fine mother like he’s done—he orter be tarred an’ feathered, that’s my ’pinion!”
“Don’t jump at conclusions that way, brother,” Jack interposed, as usual seeing further than the more impulsive Perk. “First of all, we’re not so dead certain he is her son, and that sweet child his boy—we just guessed as much because that was surely Slim’s moniker on the wall we glimpsed. But then the chances are, no matter what his relations may be with the old lady, she’s never really known what a bad egg Slim’s been. I’ve heard of cases where a wife of ten years standing still had faith in her man, and believed him to be simply unfortunate. So we mustn’t feel so positive until we know more; although it looks as if Mrs. Ferguson must think him a good guy, the story of his crimes having been kept from her ears, either through accident, or a desire to save her mental suffering.”
“Mebbe that’s it, Jack—yeou kin see deeper into sech puzzles than I ever could. But I only hope we manage to pick up leadin’ clues, an’ find aout ’baout that matter ’fore we’re through with this case.”
“Believe me, we’re going to do all of that, Perk. Once we get our man again, and are aboard our good ship, headed for port, we’ll see that he opens up and explains a good many things that so far are wrapped in mystery.”
“I kinder guess that’s right, buddy,” was Perk’s comment; after which they ceased whispering, to turn their full attention upon the task ahead—that of climbing still higher up the face of the steep mountain, with the idea of securing a full view of the hidden valley, and all contained therein.