Trackers of the Fog Pack; Or, Jack Ralston Flying Blind

by Ambrose Newcomb

  CHAPTER III

  ECHOES OF THE PAST

  Looking rather surprised, as well as duly curious after his nature, Perkaccordingly stepped blithely up, took one good stare, and immediatelyburst out with his characteristic and pet "swear-word" phrase:

  "Hot-diggetty-dig! hard to b'lieve my eyes, for a fact, partner--courseI seen that phiz afore neow, an' same stirs up some mighty warm sessionwe passed through a while back."

  "Then you say it's a portrait of Slim Garrabrant?" asked Jack, in alower key, and with a quick glance toward the connecting door that was abit ajar it happened.

  "None other, buddy--the slickest flim-flam artist that ever fooled thebanks of every state west o' the Mississip--fair good job that crayonartist made o' his work--mebbe copied from a reg'lar photo. Ain't thisthis the limit though--to think o' runnin' acrost _his_ mug out hereclost to San Diego. Huh! I allers heard the world seemed mighty smallsometimes, 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 picturehanging on this wall in an honored place makes that plain; she evidentlydoesn't know what a rogue her boy is--they must have kept things fromreaching her ears after we gobbled him up, and he was sent toLeavenworth--or was it Atlanta?"

  "Yeou got me there, 'cause I never did know," observed Perk, taking yetanother look at the face within the gold frame. "Aint sech a toughlooker as we know he is, eh, ole pal?"

  "Yes, that's a fact; but then this was evidently taken years ago, mostlikely, 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 hisown child--they call her Grandmammy Ferguson, remember--yes, that wouldsquare 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 manwe was responsible for sendin' to the pen years ago. 'Bout one chanct ina 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 imagineGarrabarnt behind the bars would give considerable for a glimpse of thatkid's sweet face."

  "I wouldn't blame him any at that, Jack. How 'bout the kid--dye kinderguess he'll have a bad time with that leg?"

  "The doctor will be able to say after he's had a lookover," came theconfident answer. "My opinion is it'll prove to be a simple sprain, andif 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 lookof 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 thesight of that excited crowd outside, had aroused his curiosity greatly.

  Jack thought the doctor should be told what necessity there was for hisservices; as such knowledge would prepare him for what must follow.Accordingly he very briefly explained, making light of what connectionhe and Perk had with the matter.

  Thus forewarned the doctor smiled his thanks, and hastened to pass intothe room where the old lady and the child were located. Some little timeafterwards the doctor came out again. Perk could see from the look onhis face it was not so very serious, nor was he mistaken in hisdiagnosis.

  "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 toremark, after the doctor had passed out of the door:

  "Huh! it's mighty plain to be seen, Jack, he's smart enough to smell arat--the grip he gimme said as he kinder guessed _we_ had a finger inthe pie. Look for yeourself, partner--he's talkin' to some o' the folksout 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 withoutpeople 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," suggestedJack, also peeping out of the window.

  "Yeou said it, Jack--if we stepped eout right neow it'd look like wewanted 'em to give us a cheer--as for me I'd be glad if we could slipaway by the back door, an' give 'em the laugh. There, he's gettin' intohis car, an' the coast's clear."

  Jack stepped into the other room to say goodbye to the old lady--for shedid seem to be of a higher class than one would think from the humblecottage she called home--truth to tell Jack wished to have another lookat that bright-faced little lad, whom he was apt to remember for a longtime.

  The boy had come-to, and shook hands at Jack's request, also gave him asweet smile.

  "If he owes either of us any thanks," Jack told Granny, as he turned toleave, "it should go to my chum; who chanced to have a gun in hispocket, having had it cleaned and repaired at a shop here--he threwhimself 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 braveact, and his mother surely has cause to be grateful for having such ason. Come and see us sometime later on; both of us will be very glad tohave you drop in."

  Jack hurried out, with a strange thought racing through his brain; hecould not help wondering what that fine elderly woman would think ifonly she knew how the two young men thus befriending her grandson (whomust have been so precious to her heart) had been the chief instrumentin shape of the outraged Law to run down and send her son-in-law SlimGarrabarnt, up to the penitentiary for a long term of years, as a muchwanted criminal.

  It was hardly a pleasant thought, but nothing to be ashamed of, since hemerely represented the Government in all he had done, and could not beblamed any more than the judge who dealt out the grim sentence.

  Perk was eager to be gone, and led the way outside. They pushed apassage through the still jabbering crowd, and walked off, followed byadmiring looks from those gathered there.

  On the way back to the city Perk seemed to be wrapped in his ownthoughts much of the time, which was such an unusual occurrence thatJack 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 hada 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 fromcontact with the child, and she asked me to thank you with all herheart."

  "Shucks! why did yeou ever mention sech a thing, Pal Jack? 'Twan'tnawthin' 'tall--jest a soft snap for a chap what was yearnin' foraction. 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 mebuffaloed for keeps."

  As Jack opened the locked door of their room he stooped to pick up someobject that had been thrust underneath. Perk saw it was a letter, with aspecial delivery stamp on the same. Somehow its coming gave him a suddenthrill around the region of his heart, as though he could senseimportant news in the offing--apparently this was destined to be ared-letter day in their experiences, with a decided break in the longrelease from active duty.