“I think the same,” she answered promptly and looked him straight in the eye.
“Well, well,” he began with a sardonic smile, and then he thrust out his lip. “All right, kid,” he said, “excuse me for living, but I wouldn’t be that good if I could. It takes all the roar out of life. Now here I came back with some money in my pocket, to make you a little present, and the first thing you hand me is this: ‘My money ain’t come by honestly.’ Well, that’s the end of the present.”
He shrugged his shoulders and waited, but Billy made no reply.
“I went up into the hills,” he went on at last, “and discovered a vein of gold–nobody had ever owned it before. And I dug it out and showed the ore to Eells and asked him if he thought it was his. No, he said he couldn’t claim it. Well, I took it to Los Angeles and sold it to a jeweler and here’s the money he paid me for it–don’t you think that money is honest?”
He drew out a sheaf of bills and flicked the ends temptingly, but Billy shook her head.
“No,” she said, “because you don’t dare to show the place where you claim you dug up that gold–and you told Mr. Eells you stole it!”
“Heh, heh!” chuckled Wunpost, “you keep right up with me, kid. Don’t reckon I can give you any present. I was just thinking you might like to take a trip to Los Angeles, and see the bright lights and 187all–taking your mother along, and so forth–but it’s Jail Canyon for you, for life. If this thousand dollar bill that you earned by saving my life is nothing but tainted money, all I can do is to tender a vote of thanks. It must be fierce to have a Scotch conscience.”
“You mind your own business,” answered Billy shortly, and brushed away a furtive tear. A trip to Los Angeles–and new clothes and everything–and she really had earned the money! Yes, she had saved his life and enabled him to come back to dig up some more hidden gold. But it was stolen, and there was an end to it–she turned away abruptly, but he caught her by the hand.
“Say, listen, kid,” he said; “I may not be an angel, but I never go back on a friend. Now you tell me what you want and, no matter what it is, I’ll go out and get it for you–honestly. You’re the best friend I’ve got–and you sure look swell, dressed up in them women’s clothes–but I want you to have a good time. I want you to go inside and see the world, and go to the theaters and all, but how’m I going to slip you the money?”
Billy laughed, rather hysterically, and then she turned grave and her eyes looked far away.