Honey leaned forward and whispered rapidly in Hozie’s ear.
“Huh? O-o-oh!” Hozie understood.
A few minutes later Hozie met Curt Bellew near the kitchen door.
“I jist wanted to ask yuh somethin’, Curt,” said Uncle Hozie. “I—uh—I been talkin’ to Peggy. Yuh see, Curt, she’s goin’ to stay at the HJ, at least a while. Won’t be nobody there but her and Laura and Wong Lee.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, I been talkin’ to her, yuh understand, Curt. She’s goin’ to need one man to help run things. I—uh—she said she’d like to have Honey Bee to run the place.”
“Oh, yea-a-a-ah!”
Curt lifted his eyebrows thoughtfully and hooked his thumbs over his cartridge-belt. He nodded slowly.
“Well, mebbe I can git along without that boy for a while, Hozie. He prob’ly won’t want to do it. Honey’s funny thataway. But you tell him I said he had to do it. If he kicks about makin’ the change—you tell him to come to me.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that, Curt,” solemnly.