This, to the young man, was an unexpected turn of affairs. For the first time, he now looked directly at Walter. Still, he stayed good–natured, and that attracted Walter the more strongly.
“Why—why—of course it is liquor. You don’t suppose Baggs would hide kerosene, say, behind his mothy old yarn, would he?” and the young man laughed.
“Well, no, I should say not,” and Walter laughed also.
“You are here to sell, are you not?” asked the young man.
“Yes, I suppose I am, for the afternoon; but I didn’t agree to sell everything Baggs might put into this old hole. I don’t know what your business is, though your face looks natural; but if the man that employed you, say to catch fish, should say some day, ‘There goes somebody’s sheep in the road. I am going to shear it, and keep the wool, and I want you to hold it, for I hired you to work for me,’ I guess you would let your fingers burn first, before you would touch the thing that was another man’s.” There was silence now in the little shanty. The young man began to drum on the counter with his fingers.
“Then, it is against the law to sell liquor in this town,” observed Walter.
“Oh, Baggs is cute to fix that,” replied the would–be customer in a whisper. “You need not take any money now. Baggs gives us a glass of liquor to–day, and in a week from to–day, when we meet him, we say, ‘A present, Mr. Baggs,’ and we give him money enough to cover the worth of the liquor.”
The young man was no longer looking at Walter, but at the bottle on the shelf, as if addressing that.
“I should think,” said Walter, indignantly, “the devil himself would be ashamed of that mean, underhanded way. I believe in being aboveboard and honest. No, I am not going to have anything to do with this business,” and as he spoke, he very resolutely thrust back the yarn, hiding the bottle from the observation of all save those to whose sight their appetite gave unusual keenness. While he was doing this, he heard a noise at the door. It was only a slight stir at first, as of a lively brush from the wind pushing its way past the door. It was just such a “lively” effort of the wind, as at sea, may grow into a hurricane. Turning toward the door, Walter saw Baggs. It was Baggs indeed, and nobody else, but oh, what a change!