“They—they want me to take my shirt off.”
“Now, I asks yuh to all set still,” says Telescope, patting his old
six-gun on his hip, and then he turns to Brady and says—
“You danged crook!”
“Ahem-m-m-m!” says Andy. “Crook, did you say?”
“Yes. He’s tryin’ to pry you loose from ten thousand dollars. This
feller’s name is Perkins, but that lets him out. I’ve knowed him for ten
years.”
“They wanted me to take off my shirt,” complains Polecat.
“Then,” says Andy, “you know positively that this is not Archibald
Perkins.”
“Cinch,” says Telescope. “Come on, Polecat, we’ve got to catch a train.”
“Wait a minute,” says Brady. “I want to tell you——”
“You and your effete East can go to ——” says Polecat. “I’m goin’ back
West where a man can get killed without gettin’ all bunged up. _Adios._”
* * * * *
We caught that train. After deducting our fare, we’ve still got enough
to eat on. We got into the smoking-car, and eased our carcasses onto the
cushions.
“No more dishonesty for mine,” sighs Chuck.
“I’m just goin’ on bein’ a plain cowpuncher, with no ambitions beyond
pay-day. It don’t pay to promote wild-cats.”
“Nor Polecats,” grins Muley.
“I thanks you for rescuin’ me,” says Polecat. “I shudders to think what
might ’a’ happened if you hadn’t showed up. Why, I wouldn’t live there
for all the money in the world. Accordin’ to what that feller read, I’d
’a’ had to live in that house and in that —— killem-quick town. Live
there? Not me. I’m too happy in my little, old dugout. What’s money?”
“She ain’t much with us,” agrees Muley.
“You didn’t need to worry, Polecat,” says Telescope. “They’d never
accepted you, anyway.”
“The real Archibald Perkins had a birthmark on his back,” says Polecat,
slow-like. “It looks like a raspberry. That’s why they wanted me to take
off my shirt.”
“Well, they’d ’a’ found out their mistake,” grunts Muley.
“Like —— they would!”
We all stares at Polecat and then at each other.
“You mean——?” gasps Chuck.
“I couldn’t stand the conditions,” says Polecat, “so I kept my danged
shirt on.”
[Transcriber’s Note: This story appeared in Adventure Magazine,
November 18, 1920. It is believed to be in the public domain in the
United States; copyright status may differ in other countries.]