“I have some money with me. It isn’t mine. I need more in a hurry—it’s to save a man’s name—save him from death, perhaps!” I couldn’t hold in. “It’s to save his daughter, too. I’m in love with her. I have been for years! It’s all I can think about. When you spoke of ‘Bright Eyes’ I felt—I felt—” I stopped and gulped.
“I reckon I know how you feel,” stated Mr. Flye, wagging that mussed-up head of his. “I know a girl. There’s hardly a minute when I ain’t thinking about her. She hasn’t paid no attention to me, but I’m going to her after I make my clean-up on ‘Bright Eyes’! It makes ’em think twice when there’s money. I ain’t much—”
“I’m desperate—I’m half crazy, Flye! This mine! Are you fooling me?”
He straightened and put his hand up like a man taking the oath. .
“I wanted you to get in because I liked you, sir. That’s why I was after you. But now that you say that you need money I’m begging and imploring you! If money will do what you say it will in your case, I say ’fore God you’ll commit a sin if you don’t grab in! I know it! It has come. ‘Dirty-shirt’ don’t know how to lie about it. The strike has been made. Take my word,” he pleaded.
“I’ll do it,” I told him. “I believe you’re trying to do an honest turn for me.” I put out my hand and he took it.
“Thank the Lord!” he said, and there was a lot of manliness about Mr. Wash Flye at that moment. “That licking was a good investment.” He said it devoutly.
“But will that fellow sell now?”
“Can you handle his twenty thousand shares at ten cents—two thousand dollars?”
“Yes.”