The Washington herald., 1920-08-16
By O. HENRY

Il did II. and then I said to Bob,
pointing: There's my house. and
here's my office. and up there's
Maine, and out that way is Cali
fornia. and over there is Florida
and that's your range till court
meets. You're in my charge. and l
take the responsibility. You be
here when you're wanted
Thanks, Tom he said. kind OF
carelessly; Z was sort OF hoping
you wouldn't lock me up. Court
meets next Monday, so. II you
don't object, I'll just loaf around
the Office until then. I've got one
favor to ask, IL it isn't too much.
II you'd let the kids come out in
the yard once in a while and have
romp, I'd like it
Why not? l answered him.
They're welcome. and so are you.
And come to my house, the same
as ever You see, Mr.. NettIewick.
you cant make a friend of a thief.
but neither can you make thief
OF friend all at once
The examiner made no answer.
At that moment was heard the
shriIl whistle OF locomotive
pulling into the depot That was
the train on the little narrow
gauge road that struck into San
Rosario from the south. The ma
jor cooked his ear and listened
for a moment. and looked at his
watch. The narrowEauge was in
on time-1o:35. The major con-
tinued:
so Bob hung around the Of
fee, reading the papers and smoK-
ing. I put another deputy to work
in his place. and. after a while,
the first excitement OF the case
wore Of.
"One day. when we were alone
in the ofiCe. Bob came over to
where I was sitting. He was
looking sort Of grim and blue -
the same look he used to get when
he'd been up watching for Indians
all night or herd-riding.
Tom says he, It's harder
than standing off redskins: it's
harder than lying in the lava
desert forty miles from water:
but I'm going to stick it out TO
the end. You know that's been
my style. But il you'd tip me the
smallest kind Of a sign-if you'd
just say L'b- 1
why, II would make It lots easier
'T was surprised. I don't know
what you mean. Bob I said. or
course, you know that I'd do any
thing under the sun to help you
that 1 could. But you've got me
guessing
"Au right. Tom was all he
said. and he went back to his
arnthnr
TT was the night before court
met when I found out what he
meant. I went to bed that night
with the same old. light-headed.
nervous feeling come back upon
me. I dropped off to sleep about
midnight. When l awoke I was
standing half dressed in one OF
the courthouse corridors. Bob
was holding one Of my arms. our
family doctor the other. and Alice
was shaking me and half crying.
She had sent for the doctor with
out my knowing it. and when he
came they had found me out Of
bed and missing. and had begun
a search.
"'sleep-walking.' said the doc
tor.
"Au Of us went back to the
house, and the doctor told us some
remarkable stories about the
strange things people had done
while in that condition. was
feeling rather chilly after my trip
out, and. as my wife was out OF
the room at that time, I pulled
open the door of an old wardrobe
that stood in the room and
dragged out a big quilt I had
seen in there. with it tumbled
out the bag of money for stealing
which, Bob was to be tried-and
convicted-in the morning.
How the jumping rattlesnakes
did that get there?' I yelled, and
all hands must have seen how
surprised 1 was. Bob knew in a
fash.
"'You darned old snoozer,' he
said. with the old time look on
his face, 4 saw you put il there.
watched you open the safe and
take It out, and I followed you.
/ looked through the window and
saw you hide it in that wardrobe
Then, you blankety blank
dop-eared, sheep-headed, coyotA,