DACE PERRY'S DUPLICITY.
Pedro Morales was not feeling very easy in his mind. That fact was
plain to be seen. With bent head, and holding his ragged hat in his
hand, he shuffled from one foot to the other and shot shifty glances at
Matt and Chub.
"Me, I was all same good Mexicano," said he. "Clipperton, he know; he
always been good friend with me."
"Stow it, Pedro," growled Clip. "Tell about the letter."
"_Si_," exclaimed Pedro. "I haul de wood from de hills, from de Phoenix
Mountains, _si_. I come dat way two day ago, and some mans he geeve me
de letter, and say I bring him by Phoenix and geeve him to some odder
mans dat was call McReady, Mar-r-r-k McReady. _Madre mia_, me, I no
_sabe_ Mar-r-r-k McReady; I say I ask for him when I reach Phoenix and
sell de wood yesserday. Den I come, make some question on de street,
and feller say he know Mar-r-r-k McReady and take de letter to him.
'_Bueno!_' I say, and geeve him it."
"It was Dace Perry he gave it to," said Clipperton. "Perry was across
the street from the City Hall Plaza. I was in the Plaza. Saw Pedro
talking with Perry. Was too far off to hear what they were chinning
about. Didn't think much about it then. Saw Pedro this morning. He told
me about getting a dollar for bringing in the letter. I wasn't long in
finding out he'd given it to Perry. Some crooked work about it--I knew
that."
"Perry thinks about as much of Chub as he does of me," spoke up Matt,
"and when Pedro tackled him about the letter, he thought he saw a
chance to do something crooked."
"He never intended to give the letter to me," put in Chub, "an' it's a
dead open an' shut he read it."
"Of course he read it! When he found out what it had to say about Jacks
and Hawley, why, he made a bee-line for the gambler and turned it over
to him. That's the kind of a chap Perry is."
A fierce expression had crossed Clipperton's face during this talk
about Perry. He felt that he had more cause to hate Perry than either
Matt or Chub; and Matt was constantly fearing that Clip, who had Indian
blood in his veins, would get himself into trouble by making some rash
and desperate move against Perry.
"He's a two-faced schemer!" growled Clipperton. "They say he owes
Hawley a lot of money. Mebby that's why he's trying to help him."
"Hang his reasons!" scowled Chub. "Perry turned the letter over to
Hawley and that's enough for me to know. I'll get a hustle on and hit
only the high places between here and dad's new 'strike.'" Chub started
for the door. "See you again, Clip," he added; "Matt'll tell you why
I've got to tear away like this."
"Hold up a minute, Chub," called Matt.
"I've lost a good deal of time now, old chap," returned Chub, pausing
at the door.
"Don't get a horse," went on Matt. "Borrow Penny's machine. You can get
out there quicker with that."
"That's a prime idea!" declared Chub. "I'll get the location blanks and
then go for the motor-cycle."
"When you get it, come back here, and I'll take the _Comet_ and go with
you."
"Why," cried Chub, "I thought you were going to point the _Comet_ for
Denver?"
"My friends seem to need me," said Matt quietly, "so I'll let Denver
wait."
Chub ran back to grip Matt's hand and wring it warmly.
"Motor Matt's a chum worth having!" he cried enthusiastically. "With
you alongside of me, and two good motor-cycles under us, we'll win
out against Hawley and Perry with ground to spare. I'll be back with
Penny's machine just as soon as I can get here, Matt!"
With that, Chub bolted through the door and made a rush for the road.
"What's up, Matt?" queried Clip.
Matt cast a significant look at Morales, and Clip took the Mexican by
the arm, led him out on the porch, and bade him good-by. When Clip
returned, Matt and Susie showed him the letter from Mr. McReady, and
told him everything they knew connected with the situation, including
the villainous smashing of the wireless apparatus.
"Perry broke the machine," said Clip promptly. "Hawley told him to. He
watched his chance, stole into the kitchen, and caused the wreck."
"It looks that way, Clip," admitted Matt; "still, it's only a guess. We
don't know for sure."
"Wish I was as sure of some other things as I am of that," answered
Clip darkly. "Dace Perry's a cur."
"He got a wrong start, Clip, that's all that ails him."
"I'd like to go with you and Chub. You may need me."
"It's a cinch I'd like to have you go, Clip, but there are only two
motor-cycles in town, and you couldn't keep up with us on a horse."
"Well," said Clip, after a few moments' thought, "if I can't go with
you I'll stay in town and watch Perry."
"It's all right to watch him, Clip, but keep your hands off him. Hawley
would like nothing better than to land you behind the bars, if he
could."
Clipperton took this advice in moody silence. He and Matt walked out on
the porch to wait for Chub, and, while they were sitting on the steps,
Welcome Perkins turned in at the gate and came stumping toward them
along the front walk.
There was an aggrieved look on Welcome's face. He carried a stick over
his shoulder, and at the end of it swung a small bundle tied up in a
red bandanna handkerchief.
"What's the matter, Welcome?" asked Matt, casting a quizzical look at
the old fellow.
"Blamed if I ain't stood it jest as long's I'm goin' to," answered
Welcome. "That onnery limb has played tag with me 'bout long enough. I
been driv out o' my home, an' I'm goin' into the hills an' git lawless.
That red-headed bandicoot of a Chub has got into a habit o' playin'
football with me an' usin' me fer the ball. I'm plumb tired, an' there
ain't no use tryin' to be respectable, no-how. When I'm the Terror o'
the Hills, an' everybody 'most is huntin' of me, an' there's a price on
my head, Chub McReady'll hev it to think about."
"Well," said Matt, with a wink at Clip, "if you've got to go, Welcome,
good-by and good luck. Don't be any more lawless than you can possibly
help."
Welcome looked disappointed. This was his usual "bluff" whenever things
failed to go as he thought they ought to. He wanted Matt to get excited
and argue with him to stay away from the hills.
"Whenever I cut loose," went on Welcome morosely, "I allers go the
limit. That's my natur', an' ye can't git away from a feller's natur'
anyways ye try. I'm plumb sorry fer law an' order now that I've
backslid, an'----"
"Don't let us keep you, Welcome," said Matt. "I guess you're in a big
hurry, and you've got a long walk before you get to the place where you
can begin your depredations."
"That's right," returned Welcome. "I'd a-been gone long before now if I
hadn't had to go over town arter some things I need." He pulled a can
of sardines out of one pocket and looked at it moodily for a second,
and then drew a can of salmon out of another pocket. "I've heern tell,"
he continued, "that a fish diet is pacifyin'. I jest drapped in ter
say good-by to Susie. She's allers been good to me, Susie has. Jim
McReady's a mighty good friend o' mine, too, an' he's trusted me to
stay here an' look arter Susie an' Chub while he's prospectin'. I want
ye to tell Jim, Matt, how blamed hard I tried to do my duty, but that I
jest couldn't stand the brow-beatin' an' bullyraggin' I got from Chub."
At that moment Susie came out on the porch.
"Why, Welcome!" she exclaimed; "what's the matter?"
The old man gave a plaintive sniffle.
"Been driv out ag'in, gal," he answered, "an' this here's the last
time. I stood enough to drive a preacher to drink, but never no more,
never no more. Good-by, Susie. You've allers been good to me, you hev,
but that brother o' your'n 's a case."
Welcome swung his stick over his shoulder and stepped forward to shake
hands with Susie.
"Welcome Perkins," she cried, "you go right into the house and stop
this foolishness!"
"Oh, let him go, Susie," said Matt. "Right now, when the McReady family
have a big fight on their hands, Welcome makes up his mind he wants to
leave. I didn't think it of him, but, if he's bound to go, tell him
good-by and let him start."
"What's that I'm hearin'?" queried Welcome, pricking up his ears. "The
McReadys got a fight on?"
"Never you mind about that, Welcome," returned Matt cheerfully. "Just
hike right along. What do you care for the McReadys, anyhow? After the
way you've been treated here, I should think you'd be glad to cut the
whole family and dig out. Good-by!"
"You dry up!" glared Welcome. "I'm talkin' to Susie. What's this about
a fight, gal?"
At that moment Chub came dashing up to the front gate on Penny's
motor-cycle.
"All ready, Matt!" he sang out.
Welcome whirled around. When his eyes alighted on that motor-cycle of
Penny's, unpleasant memories were revived, and he turned his back and
stumped around toward the rear of the house.
"Welcome is making a good bluff of it this time, Susie," chuckled Matt,
getting up and starting to get his wheel, "but he'll calm down when you
tell him the business Chub and I have in hand."
"You and Chub be careful, Matt," implored the girl. "Hawley is capable
of doing almost anything, and he has a grudge against you both."
"And me," interpolated Clip. "But I'll watch him. And Perry, too."
Susie stood on the porch, watching anxiously while Matt trundled the
_Comet_ down the walk and out of the gate. Welcome, anxious to know
what was going on, but in his present temper not caring to make any
inquiries of Chub or Matt, stood peering around a corner of the house.
"Don't fret, sis," called Chub encouragingly. "Motor Matt is helping
the McReadys, this trip, and you can bet we're goin' to win out. We'll
cinch that 'strike' of dad's, and Hawley'll be so badly beaten he'll
never know what struck him. So-long!"
Matt waved his hand, and the sharp explosions of the two motor-cycles
merged into a steady hum as the boys vanished up the road.
Chub had no suspicion as to what sort of a hard fight lay ahead of
them, or he might not have been so sanguine of success.