CHAPTER X
LAYING PLANS
After a noonday lunch Jack and his partner spent most of the afternoonin carrying out the various duties that were seemingly on their program.Among other things Jack visited the Federal building, and was closetedfor more than an hour with Mr. Adkins.
The latter official had conceived a great fancy for young Ralston, andwent to no end of trouble so as to post him with regard to what he waslikely to run up against while endeavoring to close in on Slippery Slim.With his accustomed sagacity Jack made notes of some of the facts thuslaid before him; but since these were in shorthand, and would be utterlyunintelligible to any outside party, should they chance to fall intoenemy hands, there was no danger that any mischief would follow.
By degrees he was filling up with scraps of description, and everythingconnected with former attempts at locating the hideout, where all thisunlawful scrip was being turned off the press, to flood the Southwest.
That was always his way of doing--when given a tough job Jack would livealongside it, breathing the very atmosphere of the undertaking, until hefound himself sympathetic with the aims and ambitions of the criminalswhose apprehension was placed on his shoulders by his Big Boss.
"We'll have dinner early, Perk," he told the other, who had beencarrying out a number of special duties while Jack was busy elsewhere,"so as to retire to our room at the hotel. No going out after nightfallfor us just at present, especially in a strange city, where some sneakmight waylay us coming back from the theater. All that sort of pleasuremust be put out of our heads just at present."
"Huh! guess you're hittin' the nail on the head, old hoss, when you saythat," grunted Perk, who very probably had already picked out just thescreen play he wanted so badly to see; but he was a good scout, and ableto put duty above pleasure, when the occasion arose for making apersonal sacrifice.
"Another thing," continued Jack, "there's no telling what night flyingwe're bound to be up against, in trying to keep our movements secret; soit'd be wise for us both to enjoy all the extra sleep that comes ourway."
"I get you, partner," assented Perk, subordinating his desires to theslogan which he knew was Jack's watchword--"safety first". "When I'vestowed away all the grub I c'n hold mebbe I'll be ready to hit the hay,to stick it out till cock-crow around daylight--an' then some. Prettyfair sleeper, they always called me across the big pond--crawl out asthe last horn was blowin', rub my eyes a bit, get aboard my fightin'crate, an' step off to knock another Heine pilot down afore botherin''bout my breakfast--all in a day's doings with Gabe Perkiser. Sabbethat, partner?"
"Yes, I know you like a book," Jack told him with a smile.
"Get a bellyfull when you had that confab with Mr. Adkins?" demandedPerk.
"I'm filled up to the brim with all kinds of material, which by degreesI'll have to sort out, keeping only what strikes me as essential," camethe answer.
"I see--sorter separatin' the chaff from the wheat," mused Perk; "an' ifit's a fair question, old hoss, which way do we head when we take off?"
"You might call it due northeast," Jack told him; and then, as hiscompanion uttered a startled exclamation, as though vastly surprised,Jack gave a quick glance around as if to make certain that no one wasdogging their footsteps, after which he lowered his voice almost to awhisper, to add: "but that would be only for a _blind_, in case hostileeyes were watching our departure from the flying field; for after we'vecleared a dozen or more miles we can make a complete circle, and pointthe nose of our boat squarely west!"
"Good boy!" snapped the relieved Perk; "sounds a heap more like it. Yousure did throw a big scare into me, Jack, 'cause it'd been 'bout settled'tween us that the game had ought to be played out there in theboundless waste spaces around the border."
"Yes, everything points that way so far," he was assured; "but no moretalkie at present, Perk--we'll keep bottled up until inside four walls,where no spy can steal our thunder. Slim's knocked the underpinning awayfrom a bunch of fine schemes looking to his undoing, simply by findingout what the big game happened to be, and then bursting the bubble by ascoop. We don't intend to dish our business that way if it can behelped."
"Wall," drawled Perk, with his best Yankee effect, "guess not if we knowour stuff, an' c'n roll our hoop."
As they walked along toward their hotel Perk kept up a constant lookout,as though endeavoring to make some more or less thrillingdiscovery--never a man, black or white, did they meet but that he wasmade the object of a severe scrutiny by the suspicious one; however,they reached their objective without his having run across any reasonfor making a decision; and shortly afterwards they were securely lodgedin their room, the door locked, and a couple of easy chairs invitingthem to take things comfortable, which they lost no time in doing, beingwearied from so much trotting about--flying men as a rule not enjoying areputation for pedestrian feats.
A long and serious confab followed, both speaking in low tones; Jack onhis part explained the mass of information he had accumulated, andanswered the flood of questions asked by his comrade, as well as he wasable; until he found a chance to go deeper into things himself he couldnot make definite statements concerning a number of points that were abit hazy, and needed confirmation.
Thus the afternoon waned, and the time came when they were ready tothink of the essential "eats". Of course it was Perk who brought thissubject up, for he chanced to have a tremendous appetite, and was apt togive considerable time to figuring what his next _menu_ wouldbe--indeed, half the enjoyment in his estimation lay in thus buildingair castles along the line of "grub".
Remembering that little episode up in Atlanta, where some unknown partyhad made such a "rat's nest" of Scotty's adjoining room, evidently undera mistaken belief it belonged to himself and Perk, Jack made sure tocarry all his important papers on his person, properly secured, so thatno deft hand of a sneak thief could negotiate their abstraction.
"All ready, partner," he told Perk, at the time looking out of thewindow, holding back the curtains to see the better who chanced to bewalking along the opposite pavement.
"You never said sweeter words than them, old boy; I sure was close tofaintin', my tummy feelin' like the bottom was adroppin' out--soup an'such soft stuffs, while fillin' at the time don't stay with me any greatwhile--I crave solids mostly. On your way then, Jack!"
Jack had marshalled all the facts that had been placed in hispossession, weeded a few out as worthless, and by the time theirdiscussion ended had told his companion that the Finger of Destiny waspointing out their future course as lying over the almost boundlessplains of Texas, across New Mexico, and deep into Arizona deserts, tothe wild country along the border not far distant from the spot at whichthe Gila river forms a junction with the larger Colorado; where thelatter serves as a watery boundary line between Arizona and SoutheasternCalifornia, with Old Mexico less than thirty miles distant as the crowflies.
It would be a big jump for them, but the flood of bad currencyundoubtedly had its start somewhere in this hostile region, and spreadout like an open fan, northwest into San Diego and LosAngeles--northward up to Salt Lake City--and in the northeast as far asOklahoma. To effectually break it up it was necessary that they go tothe fountain head, so as to destroy the very roots of the noisome poisonivy plant.
They spent more than half an hour dining, and needless to say Perkenjoyed himself to his heart's content--who wouldn't if he had apocketfull of ready cash, furnished by a bountiful Uncle Sam; a bill offare bristling with all kinds of tempting dishes such as Perk doted on;and to complete the combination having been born with a healthy,unbridled appetite?
It was just commencing to get dusk when they emerged from the restaurantand started back to the hotel, some two blocks distant. Perk, as usual,kept turning his head this way and that very much like a wolfscalp-hunter looking for his suspicious quarry. Presently he picked atJack's sleeve, and bending his head until his lips almost touched theother's ear he observe
d in a sibilant whisper!
"Listen, partner--we got a clam doggin' us like a bloodhound on thetrack o' a runaway nigger from a convict camp back in Alabam--get that,do you?"