Then I'll Come Back to You

gly weak but very sane greeting wrought in the expression on Fat Joe's pink visage that morning. The banter in Garry's labored words was so characteristic of the mocking spirit of the man who

uaranteed that the crisis had passed. But the lugubrious astonishment which the question had evoked consumed more time in fading from Joe's face. The latter's jaw had sagged open; he dragged a sleev

say for him the rest of the time was a hope that he wasn't dead. And now coming at us with the airy persiflage, the first regular breath he's drawed. Fat! It was

n's shoulder, while Steve continued silently to study Garry's face. Even in u

o speak I knew it was exactly the sort of thing I expected him to say. The probability o

f-hour later he was still murmuring the last phrase over to himself, perplexedly, when Steve came leading the horse Ragtime up to the open door. Saddled and with reins a-trail, the animal had been wandering throughout the ni

g with Garry Devereau's faltering heart he had had scant leisure to devote to the problem of the other man's identity-that shadowy figure which had come plunging out of the cabin

t night I didn't notice the horse, being a mite too hurried to give ample at

the door, slowly stroking the soft black nose. Just as well as though it had been voiced he caught t

as Mr. Devereau whom he brought up here last night, and in fairly good time I should judge, too, from the pace at which they set out. Garry turned him into the h

derstand both the lack of immediate action and the seeming preoccupied indifference of his superior whic

opposition, blaming the minor catastrophes upon blundering incompetence which they could hope to combat by unflagging vigilance alone. And now, when the finding of the roll of estimates upon the floor and the blood clotted crease in Garry Devereau's forehead made further argument superfluous, his listlessness would have left Fat Joe alarmed had it not been for a recollection of the light he had glimpsed

runk back against him in panic, there in the shadow of the hedge, both pictures had momentarily given way to an even more vivid memory. He was thinking of Miriam Burrell's face and her last words t

rnished the inspiration of that night raid. And to Steve the need of assuring that tall girl with the vivid lips and coppery hair of Garry Devereau's safety bulked

ing out over the works, some of them mere dots across the expanse of swamp-land. The rhythmic beat of pile-drivers thudded in his ears; raucous echoes of shouted orders

before. While he stared down at this activity, a realization of the months of bitter toil which stood between them and ultimate, uncertain success, crept over Fat Joe. Little by little his features took on that look of hard and dangerous setness whi

re that cook-boy got his eyes open wide enough to see his way up here. It ain't exactly a fancy repast, neither, so it won't tax your culinary skill none to tend it. I-there's something I'd like

his breakfast. And when Fat Joe returned he had finished preparing the meal which the former had begun; in absent-minded inattention that resulted in more than one perilously close call, with one hand he was placing brimming cups of blistering hot coffee beside t

ounded almost stentorian at times. More than once Joe's gaze went to that colorless face; just as often it sear

u call one of them little, gangling, bow-spectacled guys that fools his wakin

led to shift from the invisible point beyond Joe at which he was staring, his lips did curl a lit

ed soberly. "Ornithologist

dded b

studying the birds somewhat myself. And having been a little successful, so to speak, I'm ornerier'n even before I commenced." He stopped to swallow half the steaming coffee in his cup, and if when he began again his voice had ha

ght a moment, but his reply remaine

owever, I will admit that I have always believed their rep

leasure. His chief's eyes we

the matter, because I ain't had the time. But what I've done I accomplished because I just naturally dote on that kind

Joe, Steve now drained h

t and one of the drivers had told him that I was sending him along to help with the loadin'. He had such a nice, frank, open-faced way of lying that I couldn't bring myself to correct him. I just let it stand that way and told him such was the arrangement

all night whether we'd ever get this line of steel laid before our contract run out on us! Now wasn't that interestin'-wasn't it, especially coming from him? Neatly put and self-possessed, I call it. He was worried because he's dreadful superstitions. [Transcriber's note: superstitious?] He claims when them birds gets to hedgin' in on each other'

it, he flung aside his mask of disingenuous irrelevance. Fat Joe wheeled, put both elbows upon the table edge and leaned forward heavily. It was much as though

as for me-well, I always did pride myself that I c

breakfast as they had begun it, in absolute silence. But when Steve, with a word, halted him in the doorway as Joe was on the point of returning to the wor

ow, "Joe, you've missed your calling, I'm afraid. As a naturalist you might have scored an instant and sensational success, in spite of

ing into the bowl of his pipe; he swung slowly around toward the inert figure o

ame. He did us a good turn last night. It's the second good turn he's done for me, Joe. And now perhaps the chance has come to even up

shine, and at that he was

t, anyway, didn't I, that it would have to be his last little celebration, unless he was figurin' on a longer journey than he's ever

the statement w

uld have to be his last, unless he is figuring o

tionless form of his friend. He laid one h

long once in so often who's so badly bewildered and trail weary, so tired of trying and-and hurt in soul, that the thought of such a journey as you speak of begins to seem the shortest route after all to an end of thoughts which

just stood and bl

r twice while we were working over him-once or twice when the goin' was pretty bad-that his spirit wasn't heaving real hearty into the traces. And, say, ain't that a poor

and began to unfasten the

ul. But personally I feel that a thorough sifting of the matter requires slightly different methods. One should endeavor to get at the thing in its embryonic state, as-as it were. Don't you think so? If one could locate the pl

hen a stirrup; stopped

ope. "Watch things!" His voice drifted up from below, clear and eager, and ali

nd rider disappeared beyond the line of timber; with

ing too insistent on trivial things, for a laboring man.... He's taking her back her horse-real broke up and sorrowful like over the prospect of seein' her again so soon, too, now

e cabin. There was womanish solicitude in the scrutiny

longed excursion, won't I-convince you maybe of the unnumbered delights of our own earthly suburb, as it were. And fat, eh? You think I'm fat, do you? Well, that's a matter we'll have to thrash out when you come to-that and one

hill. Just once more he paused, halfway between the headquarters of the East Coas

ind to delve into,-that is, if he'll only listen a little to reason, when he wakes up