“In a manner o’ speaking, I mean he seemed an ordinary sort of feller up to a day or so ago. Then a big fat man hits the burg and he and a feller with him begins to agitate for this Henry Gunning——”
“That is Neuburg and Joe Wandersun—the big man is Neuburg,” said Clement.
“That’s Neuburg,” said the driver. “Well, I can understand your lack of heartiness about him—a shifty-looking mammoth he is. Well then, they asked and asked for Henry Gunning, reg’ler raised the burg. And then, when they’d finished—when the subject might be considered dropped, so to speak—there came the ladies——”
“The two ladies,” said Clement quickly.
“Yep, the queen one, a real swell Jane, and the plain prune one. They made the burg to-day, and they asked. The big shark had nothin’ on them ladies in eagerness for Henry. An’ now here’s you.”
This seemed all very strange to Clement. If Neuburg had asked for Gunning, why should Heloise, in her turn, have had to ask so persistently? He said, “I don’t quite follow this. The big man asked for Gunning, you say, and then the lady.... Does that mean that Neuburg did not find Gunning?”
“Oh, he found him. You bet he found him all right, all right.” From the amusement in the driver’s tone it was evident that there was some ripe story connected with Neuburg’s discovery of Gunning.
Clement ignored that. “Well, then—why the lady? Why did she have to ask for Gunning?”
“Why,” said the driver. “Why, don’t you see, because that Neuburg feller found him first, see.”
“I don’t see at all.”