“You drove him under the house,” answered Virginia petulantly, “playing all three phonographs at once. Really, it’s awful, Charley, and you’d better look out or mother will give you the bounce.”
“Scolding women–talking women,” mused Charley drunkenly. “Well; what do you want me to do?”
“I’m notscolding!” denied Virginia, and then as he leered at her she gave way weakly to tears. “Well, I can’t help it,” she wailed, “she scolds me all the time and–she simply drives me to it.”
102“They’ll drive you crazy,” murmured Charley philosophically. “There’s nothing to do but hide out. But I must save the rest of that whiskey for the Colonel.”
He reached for the demijohn and corked it stoutly, after which he turned to Virginia.
“Do you want some money?” he asked more kindly, bringing forth his roll as he spoke. “Well here, Virginny, there’s one hundred dollars–it’s nothing to your Uncle Charley. No, I got plenty more; and I’m going up the Ube-Hebes just as soon as I find my burros. They must be over to Cottonwood–there’s lots of sand over there and Jinny, she’s hell for rolling. No, take the money; I got it from Wiley Holman and he’s got plenty more.”
He dropped it in her lap, but she jumped up hastily and put it back in his hands.
“No, not that money,” she said, “but listen to me, Charley; here’s what I want you to do. I’ve got some stock in the Paymaster Mine that Wiley was trying to buy; but now–oh, you saw how he treated me yesterday–he wouldn’t take it, if he knew. But Charley, you take it; and the next time you see him–well, try to get ten cents a share. We want to go away, Charley; because the mine is closed down and─”
“Yes, yes, Virginny,” spoke up Death Valley, soothingly, “I’ll get you the money, right away.”
“But don’t you tell him!” she warned in a panic, “because─”