ECHOES OF THE PAST
Looking rather surprised, as well as duly curious after his nature, Perk
accordingly stepped blithely up, took one good stare, and immediately
burst out with his characteristic and pet "swear-word" phrase:
"Hot-diggetty-dig! hard to b'lieve my eyes, for a fact, partner--course
I seen that phiz afore neow, an' same stirs up some mighty warm session
we passed through a while back."
"Then you say it's a portrait of Slim Garrabrant?" asked Jack, in a
lower key, and with a quick glance toward the connecting door that was a
bit ajar it happened.
"None other, buddy--the slickest flim-flam artist that ever fooled the
banks of every state west o' the Mississip--fair good job that crayon
artist made o' his work--mebbe copied from a reg'lar photo. Ain't this
this the limit though--to think o' runnin' acrost _his_ mug out here
clost to San Diego. Huh! I allers heard the world seemed mighty small
sometimes, an neow I b'lieves it."
Jack put a finger up to his lips warningly.
"Softly, Perk. That old lady must be some close connection of Slim's,
I'd say; it may be his own mother--yes, the fact of finding his picture
hanging on this wall in an honored place makes that plain; she evidently
doesn't know what a rogue her boy is--they must have kept things from
reaching her ears after we gobbled him up, and he was sent to
Leavenworth--or was it Atlanta?"
"Yeou got me there, 'cause I never did know," observed Perk, taking yet
another look at the face within the gold frame. "Aint sech a tough
looker as we know he is, eh, ole pal?"
"Yes, that's a fact; but then this was evidently taken years ago, most
likely, before he became so hardened. I wonder--"
"What neow, Jack?"
"That handsome little boy must be some relative of Slim's," said Jack,
on a hazard; "if he was old enough I'd begin to believe the kid was his
own child--they call her Grandmammy Ferguson, remember--yes, that would
square things I'd reckon, Perk."
"Aint it won-der-ful?" the other was saying, half to himself apparently;
"jest to think o' us arunnin' smack into somebody connected with the man
we was responsible for sendin' to the pen years ago. 'Bout one chanct in
a million sech a thing could happen; but it shore has."
Jack also showed that he was feeling about the same as his comrade;
indeed it was one of the queerest episodes he had ever met up with.
"If that turns out to be a fact," he went on to comment, "I imagine
Garrabarnt behind the bars would give considerable for a glimpse of that
kid's sweet face."
"I wouldn't blame him any at that, Jack. How 'bout the kid--dye kinder
guess he'll have a bad time with that leg?"
"The doctor will be able to say after he's had a lookover," came the
confident answer. "My opinion is it'll prove to be a simple sprain, and
if such is the case the child will only have to keep quiet for a spell.
There's a car stopping at the gate, and the man getting out has the look
of a professional--yes, he's carrying a little satchel in the bargain,
so it must be the doctor she sent after."
This proved to be the case, for the young man spoke to them on entering,
and seemed very agreeable.
"What's happened here?" he asked, as though his hasty summons, and the
sight of that excited crowd outside, had aroused his curiosity greatly.
Jack thought the doctor should be told what necessity there was for his
services; as such knowledge would prepare him for what must follow.
Accordingly he very briefly explained, making light of what connection
he and Perk had with the matter.
Thus forewarned the doctor smiled his thanks, and hastened to pass into
the room where the old lady and the child were located. Some little time
afterwards the doctor came out again. Perk could see from the look on
his face it was not so very serious, nor was he mistaken in his
diagnosis.
"A simple sprain, just as you suspected," the physician assured them;
"and he'll be running around again inside of five days."
He shook hands with them very earnestly, which fact caused Perk to
remark, after the doctor had passed out of the door:
"Huh! it's mighty plain to be seen, Jack, he's smart enough to smell a
rat--the grip he gimme said as he kinder guessed _we_ had a finger in
the pie. Look for yeourself, partner--he's talkin' to some o' the folks
out there, an' I jest bet yeou they're a makin' out we done somethin'
grand. Rats! why caint a gink do a simple thing like we done without
people wantin' to gush over him? Makes me fair sick to see so much o'
the stuff wasted. Do we get a move on right away, mate?"
"Better wait up a bit until he starts back to his office," suggested
Jack, also peeping out of the window.
"Yeou said it, Jack--if we stepped eout right neow it'd look like we
wanted 'em to give us a cheer--as for me I'd be glad if we could slip
away by the back door, an' give 'em the laugh. There, he's gettin' into
his car, an' the coast's clear."
Jack stepped into the other room to say goodbye to the old lady--for she
did seem to be of a higher class than one would think from the humble
cottage she called home--truth to tell Jack wished to have another look
at that bright-faced little lad, whom he was apt to remember for a long
time.
The boy had come-to, and shook hands at Jack's request, also gave him a
sweet smile.
"If he owes either of us any thanks," Jack told Granny, as he turned to
leave, "it should go to my chum; who chanced to have a gun in his
pocket, having had it cleaned and repaired at a shop here--he threw
himself between the ugly dog and the child, and shot the mad brute dead.
The lad wasn't touched, I assure you, madam."
"Thank him for me a thousand times, please, young man--it was a brave
act, and his mother surely has cause to be grateful for having such a
son. Come and see us sometime later on; both of us will be very glad to
have you drop in."
Jack hurried out, with a strange thought racing through his brain; he
could not help wondering what that fine elderly woman would think if
only she knew how the two young men thus befriending her grandson (who
must have been so precious to her heart) had been the chief instrument
in shape of the outraged Law to run down and send her son-in-law Slim
Garrabarnt, up to the penitentiary for a long term of years, as a much
wanted criminal.
It was hardly a pleasant thought, but nothing to be ashamed of, since he
merely represented the Government in all he had done, and could not be
blamed any more than the judge who dealt out the grim sentence.
Perk was eager to be gone, and led the way outside. They pushed a
passage through the still jabbering crowd, and walked off, followed by
admiring looks from those gathered there.
On the way back to the city Perk seemed to be wrapped in his own
thoughts much of the time, which was such an unusual occurrence that
Jack marveled to take note of his silence.
"Still o' the opinion the kid might be his'n?" Perk asked his companion,
as they finally drew near the location of the building in which they had
a furnished room.
"Feel pretty sure of it," he was told, without the slightest hesitation.
"I explained to the old lady that it was you who kept the dog from
contact with the child, and she asked me to thank you with all her
heart."
"Shucks! why did yeou ever mention sech a thing, Pal Jack? 'Twan't
nawthin' 'tall--jest a soft snap for a chap what was yearnin' for
action. But it gives me a queer thrill to know heow we run up agin _his_
folks--'bout a hundred-an'-thirty million people in this here country,
an' to think we'd pick 'em aout o' all that mob--it sure has got me
buffaloed for keeps."
As Jack opened the locked door of their room he stooped to pick up some
object that had been thrust underneath. Perk saw it was a letter, with a
special delivery stamp on the same. Somehow its coming gave him a sudden
thrill around the region of his heart, as though he could sense
important news in the offing--apparently this was destined to be a
red-letter day in their experiences, with a decided break in the long
release from active duty.