The Oasis was busy that night. Harry Cole nodded coldly to them, as he went past them and entered his private room at the rear of the building. Johnny and Archie wanted to play pool; so they made it a three-handed game with Sleepy. After taking one drink, Len said he was going back to the ranch, and urged Hashknife to come out soon.
Breezy Hill dropped in for a few minutes, and Hashknife went back to the office with him.
“Somebody said that Len was in town,” said Breezy, after Hashknife had spoken about being out at the Box S. “Charley Prentice was around here early this evenin’, half drunk and half loco. I dunno whether he’s got a gun or not, but a man in his condition ain’t safe—not after what he tried to do to Len the other night.”
“Fit to be locked up,” agreed Hashknife. “Is he home now?”
“I think he is. I was up past his house a while ago, but everything was quiet. I kinda worry about that kid.”
And the kid, as Breezy termed him, was also worried. He and Minnie, the squaw, stayed close to the kitchen, while Prentice sprawled on a couch in the little living-room, talking to himself at intervals.
“We go ’way pretty soon,” decided Minnie. “No good stay here. Worse all time.”
“But where’ll we go, Minnie?” asked Larry anxiously.
“I dunno.”
Larry humped in a chair, resting his chin on his two hands. “I guess we’ll git along,” he decided. “Mebby I can git a job, Minnie.”