CHAPTER IV.
DACE PERRY'S DUPLICITY.
Pedro Morales was not feeling very easy in his mind. That fact wasplain to be seen. With bent head, and holding his ragged hat in hishand, he shuffled from one foot to the other and shot shifty glances atMatt and Chub.
"Me, I was all same good Mexicano," said he. "Clipperton, he know; healways 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 PhoenixMountains, _si_. I come dat way two day ago, and some mans he geeve mede letter, and say I bring him by Phoenix and geeve him to some oddermans 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 andsell 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 acrossthe street from the City Hall Plaza. I was in the Plaza. Saw Pedrotalking with Perry. Was too far off to hear what they were chinningabout. Didn't think much about it then. Saw Pedro this morning. He toldme about getting a dollar for bringing in the letter. I wasn't long infinding out he'd given it to Perry. Some crooked work about it--I knewthat."
"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 achance to do something crooked."
"He never intended to give the letter to me," put in Chub, "an' it's adead open an' shut he read it."
"Of course he read it! When he found out what it had to say about Jacksand Hawley, why, he made a bee-line for the gambler and turned it overto him. That's the kind of a chap Perry is."
A fierce expression had crossed Clipperton's face during this talkabout Perry. He felt that he had more cause to hate Perry than eitherMatt or Chub; and Matt was constantly fearing that Clip, who had Indianblood in his veins, would get himself into trouble by making some rashand desperate move against Perry.
"He's a two-faced schemer!" growled Clipperton. "They say he owesHawley a lot of money. Mebby that's why he's trying to help him."
"Hang his reasons!" scowled Chub. "Perry turned the letter over toHawley and that's enough for me to know. I'll get a hustle on and hitonly the high places between here and dad's new 'strike.'" Chub startedfor the door. "See you again, Clip," he added; "Matt'll tell you whyI'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, pausingat the door.
"Don't get a horse," went on Matt. "Borrow Penny's machine. You can getout there quicker with that."
"That's a prime idea!" declared Chub. "I'll get the location blanks andthen go for the motor-cycle."
"When you get it, come back here, and I'll take the _Comet_ and go withyou."
"Why," cried Chub, "I thought you were going to point the _Comet_ forDenver?"
"My friends seem to need me," said Matt quietly, "so I'll let Denverwait."
Chub ran back to grip Matt's hand and wring it warmly.
"Motor Matt's a chum worth having!" he cried enthusiastically. "Withyou alongside of me, and two good motor-cycles under us, we'll winout against Hawley and Perry with ground to spare. I'll be back withPenny'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 bythe arm, led him out on the porch, and bade him good-by. When Clipreturned, Matt and Susie showed him the letter from Mr. McReady, andtold him everything they knew connected with the situation, includingthe villainous smashing of the wireless apparatus.
"Perry broke the machine," said Clip promptly. "Hawley told him to. Hewatched his chance, stole into the kitchen, and caused the wreck."
"It looks that way, Clip," admitted Matt; "still, it's only a guess. Wedon't know for sure."
"Wish I was as sure of some other things as I am of that," answeredClip 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 twomotor-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 withyou I'll stay in town and watch Perry."
"It's all right to watch him, Clip, but keep your hands off him. Hawleywould like nothing better than to land you behind the bars, if hecould."
Clipperton took this advice in moody silence. He and Matt walked out onthe porch to wait for Chub, and, while they were sitting on the steps,Welcome Perkins turned in at the gate and came stumping toward themalong the front walk.
There was an aggrieved look on Welcome's face. He carried a stick overhis shoulder, and at the end of it swung a small bundle tied up in ared bandanna handkerchief.
"What's the matter, Welcome?" asked Matt, casting a quizzical look atthe old fellow.
"Blamed if I ain't stood it jest as long's I'm goin' to," answeredWelcome. "That onnery limb has played tag with me 'bout long enough. Ibeen 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' thereain'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 onmy 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 possiblyhelp."
Welcome looked disappointed. This was his usual "bluff" whenever thingsfailed to go as he thought they ought to. He wanted Matt to get excitedand argue with him to stay away from the hills.
"Whenever I cut loose," went on Welcome morosely, "I allers go thelimit. 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'vebackslid, an'----"
"Don't let us keep you, Welcome," said Matt. "I guess you're in a bighurry, and you've got a long walk before you get to the place where youcan begin your depredations."
"That's right," returned Welcome. "I'd a-been gone long before now if Ihadn't had to go over town arter some things I need." He pulled a canof 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 tersay good-by to Susie. She's allers been good to me, Susie has. JimMcReady's a mighty good friend o' mine, too, an' he's trusted me tostay here an' look arter Susie an' Chub while he's prospectin'. I wantye to tell Jim, Matt, how blamed hard I tried to do my duty, but that Ijest 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 lasttime. 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 shakehands with Susie.
"Welcome Perkins," she cried, "you go right into the house and stopthis foolishness!"
"Oh, let him go, Susie," said Matt. "Right now, when the McReady familyhave a big fight on their hands, Welcome makes up his mind he wants toleave. I didn't think it of him, but, if he's bound to go, tell himgood-by and let him start."
"What's that I'm hearin'?" queried Welcome, pricking up his ears. "TheMcReadys got a fight on?"
"Never you mind about that, Welcome," re
turned Matt cheerfully. "Justhike right along. What do you care for the McReadys, anyhow? After theway you've been treated here, I should think you'd be glad to cut thewhole family and dig out. Good-by!"
"You dry up!" glared Welcome. "I'm talkin' to Susie. What's this abouta fight, gal?"
At that moment Chub came dashing up to the front gate on Penny'smotor-cycle.
"All ready, Matt!" he sang out.
Welcome whirled around. When his eyes alighted on that motor-cycle ofPenny's, unpleasant memories were revived, and he turned his back andstumped 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 youtell him the business Chub and I have in hand."
"You and Chub be careful, Matt," implored the girl. "Hawley is capableof 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 knowwhat was going on, but in his present temper not caring to make anyinquiries of Chub or Matt, stood peering around a corner of the house.
"Don't fret, sis," called Chub encouragingly. "Motor Matt is helpingthe McReadys, this trip, and you can bet we're goin' to win out. We'llcinch that 'strike' of dad's, and Hawley'll be so badly beaten he'llnever know what struck him. So-long!"
Matt waved his hand, and the sharp explosions of the two motor-cyclesmerged 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 ofthem, or he might not have been so sanguine of success.