The Oakdale Affair [30]
continued in gloomy silence. At least the girl and The Oskaloosa Kid were silent and gloom steeped. Bridge was thought- ful but far from morose. His spirits were unquenchable.
"I am afraid," he said, "that I shall have to replace James. His defection is unforgivable, and he has mis- placed the finger-bowls."
The youth and the girl forced wan smiles; but neither spoke. Bridge drew a pouch of tobacco and some papers from an inside pocket.
"'I had the makings and I smoked
"'And wondered over different things,
"'Thinkin' as how this old world joked
"'In callin' only some men kings
"'While I sat there a-blowin' rings.'"
He paused to kindle a sliver of wood at the stove. "In these parlous times," he spoke as though to himself, "one must economize. They are taking a quarter of an ounce out of each five cents worth of chewing, I am told; so doubtless each box must be five or six matches short of full count. Even these papers seem thinner than of yore and they will only sell one book to a customer at that. Indeed Sherman was right."
The youth and the girl remained occupied with their own thoughts, and after a moment's silence the vaga- bond resumed:
"'Me? I was king of anywhere,
"'Peggin' away at nothing, hard.
"'Havin' no pet, particular care;
"'Havin' no trouble, or no pard;
"'"Just me," filled up my callin' card.' "Say, do you know I've learned to love this Knibbs per- son. I used to think of him as a poor attic prune grind- ing away in his New York sky parlor, writing his verse of the things he longed for but had never known; until, one day, I met a fellow between Victorville and Cajon pass who knew His Knibbs, and come to find out this Knibbs is a regular fellow. His attic covers all God's coun- try that is out of doors and he knows the road from La Bajada hill to Barstow a darned sight better than he knows Broadway."
There was no answering sympathy awakened in either of his listeners--they remained mute. Bridge rose and stretched. He picked up his knife, wiped off the blade, closed it and slipped it into a trousers' pocket. Then he walked toward the door. At the threshold he paused and turned. "'Good-bye girls! I'm through,'" he quoted and passed out into the sunlight.
Instantly the two within were on their feet and follow- ing him.
"Where are you going?" cried The Oskaloosa Kid. "You're not going to leave us, are you?"
"Oh, please don't!" pleaded the girl.
"I don't know," said Bridge, solemnly, "whether I'm safe in remaining in your society or not. This Oskaloosa Kid is a bad proposition; and as for you, young lady, I rather imagine that the town constable is looking for you right now."
The girl winced. "Please don't," she begged. "I haven't done anything wicked, honestly! But I want to get away so that they can't question me. I was in the car when they killed him; but I had nothing to do with it. It is just because of my father that I don't want them to find me. It would break his heart."
As the three stood back of the Squibbs' summer kitchen Fate, in the guise of a rural free delivery carrier and a Ford, passed by the front gate. A mile beyond he stopped at the Case mail box where Jeb and his son Willie were, as usual, waiting his coming, for the rural free delivery man often carries more news than is con- tained in his mail sacks.
"Mornin' Jeb," he called, as he swerved his light car from the road and drew up in front of the Case gate.
"Mornin', Jim!" returned Mr. Case. "Nice rain we had last night. What's the news?"
"Plenty! Plenty!" exclaimed the carrier. "Lived here nigh onto forty year, man an' boy, an' never seen such work before in all my life."
"How's that?" questioned the farmer, scenting some- thing interesting.
"Ol' man Baggs's murdered last night," announced the carrier, watching eagerly for the effect of his announce- ment.
"Gosh!" gasped Willie Case. "Was he shot?" It was almost a scream.
"I dunno," replied Jim. "He's up to the horspital now, an' the doc
"I am afraid," he said, "that I shall have to replace James. His defection is unforgivable, and he has mis- placed the finger-bowls."
The youth and the girl forced wan smiles; but neither spoke. Bridge drew a pouch of tobacco and some papers from an inside pocket.
"'I had the makings and I smoked
"'And wondered over different things,
"'Thinkin' as how this old world joked
"'In callin' only some men kings
"'While I sat there a-blowin' rings.'"
He paused to kindle a sliver of wood at the stove. "In these parlous times," he spoke as though to himself, "one must economize. They are taking a quarter of an ounce out of each five cents worth of chewing, I am told; so doubtless each box must be five or six matches short of full count. Even these papers seem thinner than of yore and they will only sell one book to a customer at that. Indeed Sherman was right."
The youth and the girl remained occupied with their own thoughts, and after a moment's silence the vaga- bond resumed:
"'Me? I was king of anywhere,
"'Peggin' away at nothing, hard.
"'Havin' no pet, particular care;
"'Havin' no trouble, or no pard;
"'"Just me," filled up my callin' card.' "Say, do you know I've learned to love this Knibbs per- son. I used to think of him as a poor attic prune grind- ing away in his New York sky parlor, writing his verse of the things he longed for but had never known; until, one day, I met a fellow between Victorville and Cajon pass who knew His Knibbs, and come to find out this Knibbs is a regular fellow. His attic covers all God's coun- try that is out of doors and he knows the road from La Bajada hill to Barstow a darned sight better than he knows Broadway."
There was no answering sympathy awakened in either of his listeners--they remained mute. Bridge rose and stretched. He picked up his knife, wiped off the blade, closed it and slipped it into a trousers' pocket. Then he walked toward the door. At the threshold he paused and turned. "'Good-bye girls! I'm through,'" he quoted and passed out into the sunlight.
Instantly the two within were on their feet and follow- ing him.
"Where are you going?" cried The Oskaloosa Kid. "You're not going to leave us, are you?"
"Oh, please don't!" pleaded the girl.
"I don't know," said Bridge, solemnly, "whether I'm safe in remaining in your society or not. This Oskaloosa Kid is a bad proposition; and as for you, young lady, I rather imagine that the town constable is looking for you right now."
The girl winced. "Please don't," she begged. "I haven't done anything wicked, honestly! But I want to get away so that they can't question me. I was in the car when they killed him; but I had nothing to do with it. It is just because of my father that I don't want them to find me. It would break his heart."
As the three stood back of the Squibbs' summer kitchen Fate, in the guise of a rural free delivery carrier and a Ford, passed by the front gate. A mile beyond he stopped at the Case mail box where Jeb and his son Willie were, as usual, waiting his coming, for the rural free delivery man often carries more news than is con- tained in his mail sacks.
"Mornin' Jeb," he called, as he swerved his light car from the road and drew up in front of the Case gate.
"Mornin', Jim!" returned Mr. Case. "Nice rain we had last night. What's the news?"
"Plenty! Plenty!" exclaimed the carrier. "Lived here nigh onto forty year, man an' boy, an' never seen such work before in all my life."
"How's that?" questioned the farmer, scenting some- thing interesting.
"Ol' man Baggs's murdered last night," announced the carrier, watching eagerly for the effect of his announce- ment.
"Gosh!" gasped Willie Case. "Was he shot?" It was almost a scream.
"I dunno," replied Jim. "He's up to the horspital now, an' the doc