“Again, what object could he have?” inquired Benson.
“Blessed if I know. What object could anyone have in such a trick against you? It was a state prison job, if the fellow had been caught at the time.”
“Well, there's one thing Truax was innocent of, anyway,” laughed Captain Jack. “He didn't have any hand in the way I was tricked and robbed by the mulatto.”
“Blamed if I'm so sure he didn't have a hand in that, too,” contended Eph Somers, stubbornly.
“Yet Mr. Pollard recommended him,” urged Jack.
“Yes, and a fine fellow Dave Pollard is—true as steel,” put in Hal Hastings, quietly. “Yet [pg 140] you know what a dreamer he is. Always has his head in the air and his thoughts among the stars. He'd as like as not take a fellow like Truax on the fellow's own say-so, and never think of looking him up.”
“Oh, we've no reason to think Truax isn't honest enough,” contended Jack Benson. “He's certainly a fine workman. As to his being sulky, you know well enough that's a common fault among men who spend their lives listening to the noise of great engines. A man who can't make himself heard over the noise of a big engine hasn't much encouragement to talk. Now, a man who can't find much chance to talk becomes sulky a good many times out of ten.”
“We'll have trouble with that fellow, Truax, yet,” muttered Eph.
“Oh, I hope not,” Jack answered, then added, significantly:
“If he does start any trouble he may find that he has been trifling with the wrong crowd!”