"My gosh! You're making enough for an army!"
"Might's well have plenty. Ted, give me another sack of biscuit mix."
Ted's head whirled. He licked dry lips and looked at the two pans of
biscuits Al had already prepared. Loring Blade turned away and in that
instant when they were unobserved, Al shook a warning head. Ted took
another sack of biscuit mix from the cupboard while cold fear gnawed at
him as a dog gnaws a bone. If there was some idea behind this madness,
what could it possibly be? Al was preparing enough food for a dozen men.
Ted turned to his skillets full of sputtering pork chops while Al tested
the boiling potatoes with a fork.
"Most done," he commented. "How you comin'?"
"Another five minutes."
"Guess I can drain the spuds."
He drained them into the sink, shook them, and added a generous hand
full of salt and a bit of pepper. He shook the kettle of potatoes again
to mix the seasoning thoroughly. Then he put them on the table and
pushed the hot coffee pot to a warming burner. While Ted took their
biggest platter from the cupboard and began forking pork chops onto it,
Al slipped in to set four places at the table.
"Ready?"
"All ready."
"Guess we can eat, then."
Leaving the potatoes in their huge kettle, he carried it in and put it
in the center of the table. Ted brought the platter of pork chops and
returned to the kitchen for coffee. Al passed him with two plates of
biscuits.
"Chow."
Jack Callahan, who had been so grim and unrelenting and now seemed to
regret it, smiled.
"Whew! Are four of us going to eat that?"
"If we can."
"I'll do my darndest."
"You're s'posed to."
"Doggonit, Al," Callahan said plaintively, "don't blame me for this. I
have a job and I intend to do it!"
"I know."
"There's nothing personal."
"I know that, too."
"Do you have to be so gloomy?"
"What'd you do if you was on your way to jail? Turn handsprings?"
Loring Blade grinned mirthlessly, speared two pork chops and added a
generous helping of potatoes. He broke a hot biscuit and lathered it
with butter. The game warden began to eat.
"Seen Damon and Pythias lately?" he asked companionably.
"Nope."
Loring Blade looked down at his plate. Under ordinary circumstances they
could have made easy conversation. But circumstances weren't ordinary;
the shadow of one in trouble cast its pall over the other three. The
game warden ate a pork chop and some of his potatoes. Then, unable to
refrain from talking about that which loomed so largely, he burst out,
"Al, for pete's sake! If you have anything to say, say it! If you shot
in self-defense, I, for one, will buy the story. There's a way out if
you'll take it!"
"I've told my story, Lorin'."
"You refuse to admit you shot Delbert?"
"I didn't shoot him."