He waited where he was for some moments. Then he turned back into the room and stared disgustedly about him.
"If a feller can"t fix two kiddies right an" cook "em pap without mussin" things till you feel like dying o" colic at the sight, he ain"t fit to rob hogs of rootin" s.p.a.ce," he muttered. "I"d--Gee-whiz!
Ther"s that doggone milk raising blue murder wi"--"
He rushed to the stove where the boiling milk was pouring over the sides of the pot in a hissing, bubbling stream. He clutched at the "billy," scalding his fingers badly, jerked it off the stove, upset the contents on the floor and flung the pot itself across the room, where it fell with a clatter upon a pile of dirty tin plates and pannikins. He swore violently and sucked his injured fingers, while, in angry dismay, he contemplated the additional mess his carelessness had caused. And at that moment Sunny returned, leading two grubby-faced infants by the hand.
"I got "em back," he cried cheerfully. Then his shrewd eyes took in the situation at a glance, and they sparkled with malicious glee.
"Gee," he cried, releasing the youngsters and pointing at the mess on the stove and floor. "Now ain"t that a real pity? Say, how d"you come to do that? It sure ain"t a heap of trouble heatin" a drop o" milk.
Most any fule ken do that. I tho"t you savvied that, I sure did, or I"d ha" put you wise. Y"see, you should jest let it ha" come to the bile, an" then whip it off quick. My, but it"s real foolish! Ten cents o" milk wasted for want of a little sense."
"Our dinner milk," cried Vada in consternation. "All gone."
"All dorn," echoed Jamie, flinging himself on the floor and dipping his fingers into the mess and licking them with grave appreciation.
In a moment he was joined by the inevitable yellow pup, which burnt its tongue and set up a howl. Vada ran to the animal"s a.s.sistance, fell over Jamie"s sprawling legs and rolled heavily in the mess.
For some seconds confusion reigned. Sunny darted to Vada"s rescue, sent the pup flying with a well-directed kick, picked the weeping girl up, and tried to shake some of the milk from her dirty clothing. While Bill grabbed Jamie out of the way of any further mischief. The boy struggled furiously to free himself.
"Me want dinner milk," he shouted, and beat the gambler"s chest with both his little fists.
"You kicked Dougal!" wailed Vada, from under Sunny"s arm.
And at that moment a mild voice reached them from the open doorway--
"Why, what"s happenin"?"
Bill and Sunny turned at once. And the next instant the children were shrieking in quite a different tone.
"Pop-pa," they shouted, with all the power of their childish lungs.
The men released them, and, with a rush, they hurled themselves upon the small person of their father.
Scipio set a bundle he was carrying upon the floor and scrambled Jamie into his arms and kissed him. Then he kissed Vada. After that he stood up, and, in a peculiarly dazed fashion gazed about him, out of a pair of blackened and bloodshot eyes, while the children continued to cling to him.
The two onlookers never took their eyes off him. Sunny Oak gazed with unfeigned astonishment and alarm, but Bill merely stared. The little man was a pitiable object. His clothes were tattered. His face was bruised and cut, and dry blood was smeared all round his mouth. Both eyes were black, and in one of them the white was changed to a bright scarlet.
James" men had done their work all too well. They had handled their victim with the brutality of the savages they were.
Scipio let his eyes rest on Bill, and, after a moment"s hesitation, as though gathering together his still scattered wits, spoke his grat.i.tude.
"It was real kind of you lendin" me Gipsy. I set her back in the barn.
She"s come to no harm. She ain"t got saddle-sore, nor--nor nothin".
Maybe she"s a bit tuckered, but she"s none the worse, sure."
Bill clicked his tongue, but made no other response. At that moment it would have been impossible for him to have expressed the thoughts pa.s.sing through his fierce mind. Sunny, however, was more superficial.
Words were bursting from his lips. And when he spoke his first remark was a hopeless inanity.
"You got back?" he questioned.
Scipio"s poor face worked into the ghost of a smile.
"Yes," he said. And the awkwardness of the meeting drove him to silently caressing his children.
Presently Sunny, who was not delicate-minded, pointed at his face.
"You--you had a fall?"
Scipio shook his head.
"You see, I found him and--his boys got rough," he explained simply.
"Gee!"
There was no mistaking Sunny"s anger. He forgot his usual lazy indifference. For once he was stirred to a rage that was as active and volcanic as one of Wild Bill"s sudden pa.s.sions.
But the gambler at last found his tongue, and Sunny was given no further opportunity.
"What you got there?" he asked, pointing at the parcel Scipio had deposited on the floor.
The little man glanced down at it.
"That?" he said hazily. "Oh, that"s bacon an" things. I got "em from Minky on my way up. He told me you"d sure got grub up here, an" I didn"t need to get things. But I guessed I couldn"t let you do all this now I"m back. Say," he added, becoming more alert. "I want to thank you both, you bin real good helping me out."
Bill swallowed some tobacco juice, and coughed violently. Sunny was eaten up with a rage he could scarcely restrain. But Scipio turned to the children, who were now clinging silently to his moleskin trousers.
"Guess we"ll get busy an" fix things up," he said, laying caressing hands upon them. "You"ll need your dinners, sure. Poppa"s got nice bacon. How"s that?"
"Bully," cried Vada promptly. Now that she had her father again everything was "bully." But Jamie was silently staring up at the man"s distorted features. He didn"t understand.
Wild Bill recovered from his coughing, suddenly bestirred himself.
"Guess we"d best git goin", Sunny," he said quietly. "Zip"ll likely need to fix things up some. Y"see, Zip," he went on, turning to the father, "Sunny"s done his best to kep things goin" right. He"s fed the kiddies, which was the most ne"ssary thing. As for keppin" the place clean,"--he pointed at the small sea of milk which still stood in pools on the floor--"I don"t guess he"s much when it comes to cleanin"
anything--not even hisself. I "low he"s wrecked things some. Ther"s a heap of milk wasted. Howsum--"
"Say!" cried the outraged Sunny. But Bill would allow no interruption.
"We"ll git goin"," he said, with biting coldness. "Come right along.
So long, Zip," he added, with an unusual touch of gentleness. "I"ll be along to see you later. We need to talk some."
He moved over to Sunny"s side, and his hand closed upon his arm. And somehow his grip kept the loafer silent until they pa.s.sed out of the hut. Once outside the gambler threw his shoulders back and breathed freely. But he offered no word. Only Sunny was inclined to talk.
"Say, he"s had a desprit bad time," he said, with eyes ablaze.
But Bill still remained silent. Nor did another word pa.s.s between them until they reached Minky"s store.
The moment they had departed Scipio glanced forlornly round his home.
It was a terrible home-coming. Three days ago in spite of all set-backs and shortcomings, hope had run high in his heart. Now--He left the twins standing and walked to the bedroom door. He looked in.