“You have said enough.”
There was silence after this, until a big man dressed in old brown overalls stopped his horse near-by.
“I’ve fixed up with Farrer to send over his gasoline tractor to do the fall breaking,” he said. “Saw the telephone construction people yesterday and told them I’d let them have two teams to haul in their poles. It’s going to pay us better than keeping them for plowing.”
“Quite right, Wandle,” replied Jernyngham, and the fellow nodded to Prescott and rode away.
He lived on the next half-section and assisted Jernyngham in the management of his ranch, besides sharing the cost of labor, implements and horses with him, though Prescott had cause for believing that the arrangement was not to his friend’s benefit.
“You’d be better off if you didn’t work with that man,” he said.
“It’s possible,” Jernyngham agreed. “I know he robs me, but he saves me bother. Besides, if we decided to separate and came to a settlement, I dare say he would claim that I was in his debt; and he might be right. I’m no good at business. Ranching I don’t mind, but I could never learn how to buy and sell.”
“It’s a very useful ability,” Prescott rejoined with some dryness. “But as I want to be home for supper, I must get on.”
He unhitched his horse and mounted, and Jernyngham walked with him to the gate in the wire fence.
“You’ll remember what I told you, Jack,” he said meaningly.