Part 65 (1/2)

”Sit down,” repeated the captain. ”I've been cruisin' so much this forenoon that I'm glad of the chance to sit. From what I've been able to learn you've been movin' pretty lively, too. A little rest won't do either of us any harm. Sit down, Mr. Phillips. Take the rocker.”

Phillips walked to the front window, looked out, hesitated, and then, returning, did take the rocker. He looked at his fellow-townsman.

”Well?” he asked.

Kendrick nodded. ”Yes,” he agreed, ”it is well, real well, now that I've caught up with you. I'll say this for you, you're as good a craft for leavin' a crooked wake as any I ever chased. For a while there you had me hull down. But I'm here now--and so are you.”

Egbert's slim hand slowly stroked his mustache.

”There appears to be some truth in that remark,” he declared. ”We do seem to be here--yes.... But----”

”But you are wonderin' why _I_ am here? Well, to be honest, I came to find you. I judged that you were thinkin' of leavin' us--for a spell, anyhow--and before you went I wanted to talk with you, that's all.”

A pause, and more mustache stroking. The two men regarded each other; the captain blandly beaming, Phillips evidently pondering.

”I don't know,” he said, at last, ”what you may mean by my thinking of leaving you. However, that is not material, and I am always delighted to see you, of course. But as I am rather busy this afternoon perhaps you'll be good enough to come to the point.... If there is a point.”

”Yes, there is. Oh, yes, there's a point. Two or three points.”

”Indeed! How interesting. And what are they? Please be as--ah--brief as you can.”

Sears crossed his legs. All this had been but preliminary maneuvering.

Here now was the real beginning of the fight; and he realized only too keenly that his side in that fight was tremendously short of ammunition.

But he did not mean that his adversary should guess that fact, and with the smiling serenity of absolute confidence he fired the opening gun.

”Egbert,” he began--”you don't mind my callin' you Egbert? Knowin' you as well as I do, it seems foolish to stand on ceremony, don't you think?

You don't mind?”

”Not at all. Charmed, I'm sure.... Well?”

”Well--yes. We've got a good many mutual friends--you and I, Egbert. One of 'em is named George Kent. He's a great friend of both of us. Nice boy, too.”

At the mention of the name the Phillips hand, caressing the Phillips mustache, paused momentarily. But it resumed operations almost at once.

Other than this there was no sign of perturbation on its owner's part.

He slowly shook his head.

”My _dear_ Captain Kendrick----” he drawled.

”Oh, call me Sears. _Don't_ be formal.”

”My dear man, if it is possible for you to come to the point? Without too great a strain on your--ah--intellect?”

”I'm comin', Egbert. Right abreast there now. George--our mutual friend--is in trouble. He has used some money that he can't spare, used it in a stock deal. I won't go into the particulars because you know 'em just as well as I do. You got him into the trouble in the first place, I understand. Now, to a man up a tree, as the boys say, it would seem as if you ought to be the one to get him out. Particularly as you are his very best friend. Don't you think so?”

Egbert sighed before answering, a sigh of utter weariness.

”And may I ask if _this_ is the--ah--point?” he inquired.

”Why, yes--I guess so. In a way.”