Old Testament pulled out, Hank unlocks the cell door, and they all comes in.
And what follered kinda touched upon my heart-strings. It was Chuck’s idea. I listened to Chuck, Hank and Liniment Lucas, as they unfolds what’s on their minds. It has been said that every man has his price. Ours was one elephant, one camel and a tiger.
They wants us to steal them three animals for Paradise. All we’ve got to do is to hand ’em over to Paradise and all is forgiven. But they’re square about it, at that; they will pay Wick Smith what he paid for ’em; and give us a hundred apiece.
“And Piperock ain’t treated you two square,” says Chuck.
“Thassall right,” says I, “but yuh can’t get away with anything like that, Chuck. It wouldn’t be hard for Piperock to prove that they owned ’em, ’cause they’re all there is of the species in Yaller Rock County.”
“We’ve fixed that all up,” says Chuck. “Don’tcha worry about that end of it. You fellers go back home, feelin’ sore at Paradise, and nobody will expect yuh to raid the zoo; sabe?”
When we went home, after swearin’ to do our little best, and we finds Magpie in the shack, composin’ some more stuff. We don’t say nothin’ about his kind note to us, and he don’t mention it to us.
“Still tryin’ to uplift Piperock on paper?” I asks.
“Combatin’ a evil influence, Ike. We are the pioneers—others foller. Some one is tryin’ to steal our thunder.”
“You got plenty of it,” declares Dirty. “They could swipe a lot of it from you and still leave enough for a dozen men.”