“Ardon, I’m going to own up that I have had a lot of bitter thoughts about the folks in Levant since I left home. But if I had known that I had only one friend there like you have been in this matter, I would have put all the bad things out of my mind.”
“I only told the truth, Ross.”
“But that’s the hardest job a man undertakes to do in a lot of cases.” I was thinking just then how hard I would find it to own up about myself, and how I had secured that money from the clutches of the rogues in Dawlin’s joint. And there I was, making a lot of capital out of that deceit!
But after what I had just heard I was resolved to go ahead and make more capital out of my pretensions to greatness.
“You’re going to let us say that you have made good, aren’t you?” asked Dave.
“I’d like to get back into the good opinion of the old town, boys. If you feel like saying something nice about me when you get back to Levant, I’ll be grateful.”
“Say, if we don’t blow your horn!” they cried in concert.
“But not too loud, boys! I don’t want to have too big a reputation to live up to when I come back home.”
They stood up and clapped me on the back.
“By gorry! you will come, won’t you, and show ’em?” pleaded Dave. “Come and show ’em!”