“Jack, I did swipe de look-see, an’ I peddled ’er for a hunnerd bucks.”
Cole of Spyglass Mountain groaned aloud.
“An’ dat’s how come it dis big Slim Wolfgang lost youse—see? I beat it an’ lost de bot’ o’ youse togedder— See?”
“What d’ye mean by that?”
“Well, dis Slim Wolfgang, I know um ever since he come from de kid-pen, back East somew’eres—w’ere de bot’ o’ youse was in stir togedder—see? Dat is, I meets um a little after dey sprung um, an’ he was on de road, a tramp like me. An’ I snared um f’r me road-kid, an’ him an’ me beat it a lot togedder.”
Then The Whimperer went on to tell, in his rambling, haphazard way, how Slim Wolfgang had trailed Joshua out of Hathaway, had chanced to meet him—The Whimperer—on the road, and had hired him to help in keeping watch on the amateur hobo. It had been quite easy thus to keep Joshua always under surveillance; and at last Joshua realized why it had been so difficult to evade The Whimperer.
“But he wouldn’t spring it wot it was all about,” the tramp complained. “An’ dough he had a roll dat woulda choked a horse, he wouldn’t pungle up enough. He jes’ kep’ promisin’ an’ promisin’ dat I’d get mine someday in a lump, an’ he wouldn’t spring de dope. So as t’ings didn’t look good to me, I swipes de look-see w’en youse tol’ me wot she was wort’—an’ I trun up de job. To dis day, Jack, I don’t savvy w’y Slim Wolfgang keeps on yer trail.”
“Well,” said Joshua, after long reflection, “how does it come that you and Slim are together again at Ragtown? Are you still working for him at watching me?”
“I am, Jack—dat’s de point. I was down in Louisiany in a jungle camp long after I’d ditched youse, and all of a sudden in comes dis here big Slim Wolfgang an’ grabs me by de t’roat. He pretty near choked de life outa me, and I’m gonta get um f’r dat one o’ dese here days. But dat’s neider here der dere. De big point is dat he says he’s got track o’ youse ag’in, an’ knows w’ere youse’re at An’ he says he’ll still gi’me a chanct to make dat big piece o’ money if I’ll go wid um to Ragtown, out in Cal, an’ keep me eyes on youse. He don’t wanta stick aroun’ Ragtown—see? Back in Hat’away he’s got a swell dame—see?—and nuttin’ doin’ f’r her in de Golden West. So Slim he wants de kale dat he’ll get f’r keepin’ his lamps on youse, but he don’t wanta do de woik. Get me? So he hires me ag’in, an’ slips me a piece o’ jack.
“Well, we beats it West togedder on de cushions—see? An’ we go to Ragtown. An’ youse’re woikin’ f’r Demarest, Spruce an’ Tillou. So Slim he’s gonta leave me dere to lamp youse an’ write um ever’ now an’ den w’edder youse’re stickin’ er not. An’ he was gonta beat it back to his jane until he saw wot good pickin’s dere was at Ragtown. Slim’s a good stud-dealer, an’ de railroad stiffs had a lotta jack. He didn’t know it was gonta be like dat w’en we started from Louisiany. So he wires his jane wot a good field dere is at Ragtown f’r him an’ a pretty, wise dame like she is, an’ she gets hep to herself an’ beats it out. She’s one o’ de dancehall goils at De Golden Eagle, w’ere Slim deals stud an’ c’n keep his eye on her. Dey’re grabbin’ off de jack, de bot’ of ’em—believe me! So he’s dere pipin’ youse off, an’— Well, he tied de can to me, de no-good son-of-a-gun! I’ll get um someday, Jack—no foolin’! An’ dere I was broke, an’ him refusin’ to pungle up any more jack. An’ w’en I tried de skeleton dance at Ragtown to get me a little piece o’ coin f’r meself, an’ youse lamped me an’ chased me t’rough Slim’s tent, de no-good son-of-a-gun beat me up somet’in’ fierce f’r woikin’ me graft on de street an’ gettin’ caught. So I’m off um f’r life. He t’inks he’s got me buffaloed, but I ain’t scared of um—so I’m springin’ wot I know on youse. An’ dat’s all, except dat I’m broke an’ need a piece o’ change. If youse’ll slip me a hundred bucks, Joshua, I’ll beat it outa de country. I was on me way w’en I was at Spur. But dere was a big cowpunch in dere blowin’ to de gang, an’ I gets cuckoo an’ t’inks I’ll make it back an’ slip youse wot I know—an’ maybe youse’ll treat me right f’r ole-times’ sake. Dere she is, Jack.”