“Yes! And tell him some sort of story about his poor but honest parents. Tell him I was a traveling man and got killed in a wreck. Tell him I had a fine voice to sing with, or some little thing like that, so he can remember it. A little kid likes to remember things like that when he grows up and misses the folks he ought to have.”
“I'll tell him you were always kind to him, for so you was—in my boat,” said Peter.
“I'll tell him that when he was a little fellow you used to sing him to sleep.”
“Yes, something like that,” said Booge, and went on breaking rock. Suddenly he looked up. “I wonder if it would do any good for me to give you a paper saying you are to have all my rights in him? I don't know that I've got any, but I'd sort of like to have you have Buddy.”
They talked of this for some time, and it was agreed that when Booge had served his term and was released he was to sign such a paper before a notary and leave it with George Rapp, and they were still discussing the possibility of such a paper being of any value when the door of the jail opened and the sheriff came into the stone-yard.
“Hello, Peter!” he said. “My wife tells me you want to see me. What's the trouble?”
Peter explained.
“Well, I'm sorry I've got to turn you out,” said the sheriff regretfully. “I've got the jail so full you mightn't be comfortable anyway, and I've taken in about all I can afford to take on speculation. I'd like to keep you, but I don't see how I can do it, Peter. I don't make enough feeding you fellows to take any risk on not getting paid. I guess you'll have to get out.”
“But I'm guilty, Ed,” said Peter. “I guess I am, anyway.”
“Can't help it!” said the sheriff firmly. “I don't know nothing about that. If you want to come to jail, you've got to be served with papers in the regular way. The city don't O. K. my bills hit-or-miss no more. I guess you'll have to get out. I can't run the risk of keeping you on your own say-so.”