“Thank you, I shouldn’t wish any pie. Why, Ducky dear, some of that outfit would lock horns with Julius K. Cæsar if he looked ogle-eyed at ’em. Tavy Baca especially is a cold proposition—the worst west of a given point. Only one skunk in the firm. That’s Bennett. No, sir; if you want to touch that tainted money——”
“I do. Let me leave no chance for misapprehension. I want to roll in it! I want to puddle my paddies in it!”
“Then you’ve got to guess quick and guess right and guess hard; you’ve got to mean what you think, and dig in your toes when you pray! To handle this contract you have got to have the hunch, the punch, the pep and the wallop!”
“But, even if you’re right——”
“If you say that again I’ll quit you!” declared Jones indignantly.
“Don’t say dem crool woids to me!” begged Ducky. “You’re horribly right——but where are you going to begin? It’s like climbing a glass wall.”
“Oh, no—not so bad as that! We have one highly important circumstance in our favor. They haven’t divided the spoils yet. If they had they wouldn’t be trying to get you out of the way. And when they do divide—about this time look out for squalls; for I judge that most of that cash was left on deposit with Bennett. The hell-housekeepers will have the rest—what they had for the house roll when they heard that Uncle Roger had cashed in, and what they’ve won or lost since.
“When you came on and it became plain that you didn’t know anything about your uncle’s business, there they were! Bennett couldn’t keep it all—the gamblers would give the snap away unless they got their share. They couldn’t get it all—Bennett would tell you first.”
“Oh, my, my! Birds in their little nests should not fall out!”
Jones ignored the interruption.