Toby smothered a laugh, but became serious under Sunny"s contemptuous eye.
"That"s like you, Sandy," he cried. "It"s sure like you. But I tell you Zip"s a man, an" a great big man to the marrer of his small backbone. His luck"s rotten. Rotten every ways. He"s stuck on his wife, an" she"s gone off with a tough like James. He works so he comes nigh shamin" even me, who hates work, on a claim that couldn"t show the color o" gold on it, if ther" wa"an"t nothin" to the earth but gold. He"s jest got two notions in his silly head. It"s his kids an"
his wife. Mackinaw! It makes me sick. It does sure. Here"s us fellers without a care to our souls, while that pore sucker"s jest strugglin"
an" strugglin" an" everythin"s wrong with him--wrong as--oh, h.e.l.l!"
For once Sandy forgot his malicious jibe at the loafer"s expense. And Toby, too, forgot his pleasantry. Sunny"s outburst of feeling had struck home, and each man stood staring thoughtfully at the mental picture he had conjured for them. Each admitted to himself in his own way the pity the other"s words had stirred, but none of them had anything to add at the moment.
Sunny glanced from one to the other. His look was half questioning and wholly angry. He glanced across at the window and thrust his hands in his ragged trousers pockets.
And presently as he began to tap the floor with his foot a fresh rush of fiery anger was mounting to his head. He opened his lips as though about to continue his tirade, but apparently changed his mind. And, instead, he drew a dollar bill from his pocket, and flung it on the counter.
"Three more drinks," he demanded roughly.
Minky in unfeigned surprise produced the gla.s.ses. Sandy leant over, and, with face thrust forward, inspected the bill. Toby contented himself with a low whistle of astonishment.
Sunny glared at them contemptuously.
"Yes," he said roughly, "I"ve earned it. I"ve worked for it, do you understand? Wild Bill set me to look after Zip"s kids, an" he"s paid me for it. But--but that money burns--burns like h.e.l.l, an" I want to be quit of it. Oh, I ain"t bug on no sort o" charity racket, I"m jest about as soft as my back teeth. But I"m mad--mad to git busy doin"
anythin" so we ken git Zip level with that low-down skunk, James. An"
if ther"s fi" cents" worth o" grit in you, Mister Sandy Joyce, an" an atom o" savvee in your fool brain, Toby, you"ll take a hand in the game."
Minky looked on in silent approval. Anything directed against James was bound to meet with his approval just now. But Sandy cleared his throat, and lounged with his back against the counter.
"An" wot, I"d ast, is goin" to hurt this tough?" he inquired, with a dash of his usual sarcasm.
Sunny flew at his drink and gulped it down.
"How do I know?" he cried scornfully.
"Jest so."
Toby grinned.
"You"re a bright one, Sunny. You"re so bright, you dazzle my eyes," he cried.
But Sunny was absorbed in a thought that was hazily hovering in the back of his brain, and let the insult pa.s.s.
"How ken I tell jest wot we"re goin" to do," he cried. "Wot we want to do is to kind o" help that pore crittur Zip out first. Ther" he is wi"
two kids to see to, which is sure more than one man"s work, an" at the same time he"s got to dig up that mudbank claim of his. He don"t see the thing"s impossible, "cos he"s that big in mind he can"t see small things like that. But I ain"t big that aways, an" I ken see. If he goes on diggin" wot"s his kids goin" to do, an" if he don"t dig wot"s they goin" to do anyways. We"ll hev to form a committee--"
"Sort o" trust," grinned Toby.
But Sunny pa.s.sed over his levity and seized upon his suggestion.
"I "lows your fool head"s tho"t somethin" wiser than it guessed," he said. "That"s just wot we need. Ther" should be a trust to see after him. An" after it"s got his kids fixed right--"
Sunny broke off as the tall figure of Wild Bill threw its shadow across the window of the store. The next moment the man himself entered the room.
He nodded silently, and was about to fling himself into one of the chairs, when Toby, in jocular antic.i.p.ation, threw Sunny"s proposition at him.
"Say, Sunny"s woke up an" bin thinkin"," he cried. "I allow his brain is shockin" wonderful. Guess he"s got sick o" restin" an" reckons he got a notion for makin" a trust lay-out."
"The Zip Trust," added Sandy, with a laugh, in which Toby joined heartily.
"Yes. He guesses Zip needs lookin" after," declared the remittance man in the midst of his mirth, glancing round for appreciation of the joke.
But the encouragement he received fell short of his expectations, and his laugh died out quite abruptly. There was no responsive smile on Minky"s face. Sunny was glowering sulkily; while Bill"s fierce brows were drawn together in an angry frown, and his gimlet eyes seemed to bore their way into the speaker"s face.
"Wal?" he demanded coldly.
"Wal, I think he"s--"
But Bill cut him short in his coldest manner.
"Do you?" he observed icily. "Wal, I"d say you best think ag"in. An"
when you done thinkin" jest start right over ag"in. An" mebbe some day you"ll get wise--if you don"t get took meanwhiles."
Bill flung himself into the chair and crossed his long legs.
"Sunny"s on the right lay," he went on. "Ther" ain"t many men on Sufferin" Creek, but Zip"s one of "em. Say, Toby, would you ride out to James" outfit to call him all you think of the feller whose stole your wife?"
"Not by a sight," replied Toby seriously.
"Wal, Zip did. He"s big," went on Bill in cold, harsh tones. Then he paused in thought. But he went on almost immediately. "We got to help him. I"m sure with Sunny." He turned on the loafer with a wintry smile. "You best organize right away, an"--count me in."
Sunny"s eyes glowed with triumph. He had feared the man"s ridicule. He had expected to see his lean shoulders go up in silent contempt. And then, he knew, would have followed a storm of sarcasm and "jollying"
from Sandy and the others. With quick wit he seized his opportunity, bent on using Bill"s influence to its utmost. He turned on Minky with a well calculated abruptness.
"You"ll help this thing out--too?" he challenged him.
And he got his answer on the instant--
"I sure will--to any extent."
Sandy and Toby looked at the storekeeper in some doubt. Bill was watching them with a curious intentness. And before Sunny could challenge the two scoffers, his harsh voice filled the room again.
"I don"t know we"ll need any more," he said, abruptly turning his gaze upon the open window, "otherwise we"d likely hev ast you two fellers.
Y"see, we"ll need folks as ken do things--"
"Wot sort o" things?" demanded Sandy, with a sudden interest.
"Wal, that ain"t easy to say right now, but--"
"I ain"t much seein" to kids," cried Sandy, "but I ken do most anythin" else."
A flicker of a smile crept into Bill"s averted eyes, while Sunny grinned broadly to see the way the man was now literally falling over himself to follow the leadership of Wild Bill.
"Wal, it ain"t no use in saying things yet, but if you"re dead set on joining this Zip Trust, I guess you can. But get this, what you"re called upon to do you"ll need to do good an" hard, an"--without argument."