Part 22 (1/2)

”I lost some money,” grumbled Luke.

”But you _said_ you lost it when you tripped and fell,” said Racey.

”And you fell outside.”

”I lost it here,” Luke said, shortly.

”I don't givead.a.m.n where you lost it or what you lost,” declared Red Kane. ”You can't go flirtin' round with any lantern in Tom's barn.

First thing you know you'll set it afire. C'mon, Luke, pull yore freight.”

”But lookit here,” protested Luke, ”I lost something valuable, Red. I gotta find it.”

”It wasn't money then?” put in Racey.

”Of course it was money,” averred Luke.

”You said 'it' this time, Luke.”

”It don't matter what I said. I lost some money, and I want to find it.”

”You can want all you like,” said Red Kane, ”but not in this barn.

C'mon back to-morrow morning, and you can hunt the barn to pieces, but you can't do any more skirmis.h.i.+ng round in here to-night. I'll lock the barn door so's n.o.body else will go fussbudgettin' round in here.

C'mon, Luke, get a move on you.”

So Luke was driven out much against his will, and Racey and Swing roamed around to the dance hall. Here at a table in the ell where the bar stretched its length they could sit and talk--unheard under cover of the music.

”But how come you had yore boots off?” Swing desired to know when a table, a bottle and two gla.s.ses were between them. ”Don't try to tell me you stuck 'em behind that wagon-seat on purpose to trip him. You never knowed he was comin'.”

”Well, no, I didn't exactly,” admitted Racey, with a sly smile. ”Those boots were laid out all special for you.”

”For me?”

”For you.”

”But why for me?” Perplexedly.

”Because, Swing, old settler, I didn't like you this afternoon. The more I saw you over there on that porch the less I liked you. So I took off my boots and hid 'em careful like behind the wagon-seat so they'd stick out some, and you'd see 'em and think I was there asleep, and naturally you'd go for to wake me up and wouldn't think of looking behind the crate where I was laying for you all ready to hop on yore neck the second you stooped over the wagon-seat and give you the Dutch rub for glommin' all the fun this afternoon.”

”And what didja think I'd be doin' alla time?” grinned Swing Tunstall.

”You wouldn't 'a' tried to knife me, anyway.”

”G'on. He didn't.”

”Oh, didn't he? You better believe he did. If I hadn't got a holt of his wrist and whanged him over the head with my Colt for all I was worth he'd 'a' had me laid out cold. Yep, li'l Mr. Luke Tweezy himself. The rat that don't care nothing about fighting with anything but a law book.”

”A rat will fight when it's cornered,” said Swing.

Racey nodded. ”I've seen 'em. It's something to know Luke carries a knife and where.”