Part 11 (1/2)
WITH THE COMING OF THE MOON
”Wall,” Perk was ree of their vision a her sable curtains close, ”I hopes they get through without runnin' sainst a bunch o' the racketeers”
”With fair luck they ought to ,” Jack went on to observe, confidently ”You heard lers and hijackers by land and sea and air? Anye've finished our part of the job and this paper proves that our find was all I cracked it up to be when I talked with Mr Ridgeway”
”Course, you knocked up against the gent then, eh Jack?”
”Sure, or I shouldn't have been able to fetch those lads back with o,” the other told him ”But I was in a tail spin at first when I learned that Mr Ridgeway had gone down to St Pete to interview so into his Governot his address and jumped”
”I first hired a dependablemy superior officer but I found hilad to see ood sport, and askedto tell ents working the spy game for all it orth”
”Was he tickled to learn hoe ed to run off with that slick little sloop that carried so neat a pack o' cases n stamps?”
”Seemed to be,” came the ready answer ”He isn't a man of many words, you know, Perk, but what he says hethe high-hat chaps at the head of this sue to the bar, with plenty of evidence that would convict the lawyers they eood with et half the praise that's coh--satisfied to do h-ups have the ame just the same an' that's worth all it costs us
Tell eway fork over any neorth knowin'?”
”He did,” the other assured him ”I showed him those papers I found hidden in the cabin of the sloop, with a fine list of names, such as would cover customers who'd ordered the stuff they had aboard and he reckoned that several of the s deal”
”That would be a clue worth while, I'd say,” Perk asserted warht be telling hi on a pretty warht above every one else--the capitalist whose as _law_, and whose money purchased all the supplies, fro else needful for carrying on their business of swindling the Governh the Treasury Depart any likely move when an important case was placed in the hands of hi the net destined to gather in the chief culprits--the outlook promised a multitude of warm episodes calculated to stir the blood to fever heat and afford him the wild excitement without which life lostthrob of the old engine aboard the sloop had long since ceased to make itself heard, so that they could with reason believe McGrath and his pal well on the way to their distant goal, with no sign of stormy weather to be seen in the southwestern heavens
”How 'bout spendin' the night here, partner?” Perk queried, as he sat contentedly sood reason to congratulate himself on the close of a perfect day
”I was just thinking that over, Perk We ht be in a worse situation than this, if locality was all that ators would keep us aith their splashi+ng and roaring along towards earlyof the un duel with you”
”You're jest crampin' my style when you say that, partner,” complained Perk ”That Oscar happens to be a German, we both know, an' from what I learned about the breed when over there, they're soive it up wuss'n pizen”
”I see you're of the sa his head ”You reckon there ht be so back here to do a little bo to try our own medicine, not if we know it, and on that account I think we'd be wise to pull out of this and find a new refuge--perhaps on so interesting in our line”
”Je-ru-salelin'
back o' them words old hoss,” broke out the newly interested Perk, showing considerable animation He was used to most of Jack's habits and could inlay hidden back of his word--sos when followed to a finish
That seely casual mention of a freshwater lake was not --Jackvery ione into conference at Ta Perk's wits to working overtis out
”Wait and see what's in the wind, Perk,” said the head pilot, with a chuckle ”I proreat while passes Just now I'll own up this sche over to a certain sheet of fresh water for a change of base has a as with Perk, for he beah pleased
Whatever Jack decided was always all right in his eyes because he felt certain that the bright mind of his comrade just could not make a blunder