"When I seen them men last night it looked to me like they was too fine dressed to be honest.""I don't think they be, Danny," says Jake, confidential. "In my opinion they is mighty bad customers. But they has got on the wrong side of the law now, and I guess they won't stay around here much longer.""Well," says I, "Hank will be glad."
"Fur what?" asts Jake.
"Well," says I, "because he got his pay in advance fur that job and now he don't have to finish it.
They come along to our place about sundown yesterday, and we nailed a shoe on one hoss. They was a couple of other hoofs needed fixing, and the tire on one of the hind wheels was beginning to rattle loose."I had noticed that loose tire when I was standing by the hind wheel the night before, and it come in handy now. So I goes on:
"Hank, he allowed he'd fix the hull thing fur six bottles of that Injun medicine. Elmira has been ailing lately, and he wanted it fur her. So they handed Hank out six bottles then and there.""Huh!" says Jake. "So the job is all paid fur, is it?""Yes," says I, "and I was expecting to do it myself. But now I guess I'll go fishing instead.
They ain't no other job in the shop."
"I'll be dinged if you've got time to fish," says Jake. "I'm expecting mebby to buy that rig off the town myself when the law lets loose of it. So if the fixing is paid fur, I want everything fixed.""Jake," says I, kind of worried like, "I don't want to do it without that doctor says to go ahead.""They ain't his'n no longer," says Jake.
"I dunno," says I, "as you got any right to make me do it, Jake. It don't look to me like it's no harm to beat a couple of fellers like them out of their medicine. And I DID want to go fishing this afternoon."But Jake was that careful and stingy he'd try to skin a hoss twicet if it died. He's bound to get that job done, now.
"Danny," he says, "you gotto do that work.
It ain't HONEST not to. What a young feller like you jest starting out into life wants to remember is to always be honest. Then," says Jake, squinch-ing up his eyes, "people trusts you and you get a good chancet to make money. Look at this here hotel and livery stable, Danny. Twenty years ago I didn't have no more'n you've got, Danny.
But I always went by them mottoes--hard work and being honest. You GOTTO nail them shoes on, Danny, and fix that wheel.""Well, all right, Jake," says I, "if you feel that way about it. Jest give me a chaw of tobacco and come around and help me hitch 'em up."Si Emery was there asleep on a pile of straw guarding that property. But Ralph Scott wasn't around. Si didn't wake up till we had hitched 'em up. He says he will ride around to the shop with me. But Jake says:
"It's all right, Si. I'll go over myself and fetch 'em back purty soon." Which Si was wore out with being up so late the night before, and goes back to sleep agin right off.
Well, sir, they wasn't nothing went wrong. Idrove slow through the village and past our shop.
Hank come to the door of it as I went past. But I hit them hosses a lick, and they broke into a right smart trot. Elmira, she come onto the porch and I waved my hand at her. She put her hand up to her forehead to shut out the sun and jest stared.
She didn't know I was waving her farewell. Hank, he yelled something at me, but I never hearn what.
I licked them hosses into a gallop and went around the turn of the road. And that's the last I ever seen or hearn of Hank or Elmira or that there little town.