The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1907-09-17
CHAPTER xvIII.-Continued.
lCE22Z2MZZ ~ q

with me, joe" said l. Besides, 1t
amt safe Put it in the bank and
aend me check"
Not on your life" replied Healey |
with laugh. 1.-THE suckers we
trimmed gave checks, and 1 turned
lem into cash as soon as the banks
opened / wasn't any too spry, either.
Two of the damned sneaks consulted
lawyers as soon as they sobered on,
and tried to stop payment on their
Checks They're threatening proceed
ings. You must take the dough away
with you. and don't want receipt.
Trimming suckers, eh?" said |, not
able to decide what to do.
"Their fathers stole it from the pub
lie" he explained. They're drunken
little snobs, not fit to have money.
I'm doing public service by relieving
them of it. If I'd a got more, I'd feel
that much more"-he vented his light,
cool. sarcastic laugh-"more patri-
otto"
q can't take it" said /. feeling that.
in my present condition, to take it
would be very near to betraying the
confidence of my old friend.
"They lost it in straight game"
he fastened to assure me. Il haven't
had brace box or crooked wheel for
four years" This with sober face
and a twinkle in his eye. But even
If l had helped chance to do the good
work of teaching them to take care
of their money, you'd not refuse me.
Up town and down town, and all over
come to look at it sensibly, but trad
ing stolen goods? Do you know man
who could honestly earn more than
ten or twenty thousand a year-good
clean money by good clean work."
"Oh, for that matter. your moneys
as clean as anybody's," said l. But
you know I'm a Spectator, Joe.
have my downs-and this happens to
be stormy time for me- If l take
your money, mayn't be able to ac-
count for it or even to pay dividends
on it for-maybe year or So"
It's all right, old man. I'll never
give it thought till you remind me
of it. Use it as you'd use your own.
I've got to put it behind somebody's
luck-why not yours?"
He finished doing up the package.
then he seated himself. and we both
looked at it through the smoke of our
cigars.
It's just as easy to deal in big sums
as in little, in large matters as in
small. isn't it, Joe" said l, .once one
gets in the way of it?"
DO you remember-away back
there-the morning" he asked mus.
lngly-"the last morning-you and |
got up from the straw in the stables
over at Jerome Parkrthe stables
they let us sleep imp"
And went out in the dawn to roost
on the rails and spy on the speed
trials of old Revell's horses?"
Exactly" said Joe, and we looked
at each other and laughed. I'VE in
rags gosh, how chilly it was that
morning! Do you remember what we
talked about?"
NO., said l, though did.
was proposing to turn crooked
tflcK-and you wouldn't have it. You
persuaded me to keep straight. Matt
I've never forgotten it. You kept me
stralght-showed me what fool a
man was to load himself down with .
petty larceny record. You made q
man Oh me, Matt. And then those good
looks OF yours caught the eve of that
oookmaker's girl. and he gave Won a
Job at writing shetland Won worked
me in with YOU"
so long ago it seemed, yet near and
real too, as I sat there. conscious OF
every sound and motion, even of the
fantastic shapes taken by our M
curing smoke. How far | was from
the rail bird of those happv-go-
lucky years, when a meal meant quite
as much to me as does a million now
now iar from all that, yet how near
TOO. For was | not still facing life
with the same careless courage. for.
settlng each yesterday in the eager
excitement of each new day wits its
new deal? We went ON in our r,,,ntn.
lscences for while; then. as Joa had
niue WORK to do, drifted OUT into
tne mousse. TOOK bite of supper with
young Melville, had a little go at the
tiger, and toward FIVE in the clear
June morning emerged into the broad
day of the streets, with the preclous
bundle under my arms and 1--WE hun.
dred dollar bill in my waistcoat
pocket.
Give my win to me in single
bill.' said to the banker, land blow
yourself off with the change"
Joe walked down the street with
me-for companionship and a little
air before turning in, he said but /
imagine desire to keep his eye on
his treasure a while longer had some
thing to do with his taking that early
morning stroll. We passed several OF
those forlorn figures that hurry
through the slowly-awakening streets
to bed or to work. Finally there
came by an old, old woman--a scrub
woman, guess. on her way home
from cleaning some offce building
Beside her was a thin little boy, hop