“Well, it is a mighty funny thing how a man of that reputation could come here and pass himself off for an honest miner!” said Lem.
“If you had the cheek that man’s got you could do anything,” I continued. “He said I ought to be one of them. If he means by that, that I ought to join one of his bands and make my living by stealing cattle, he’s a long ways out of his reach.”
“You will find the boys all right, because I have confided in them,” said Mr. Davenport. “And now I have confided in you. Don’t tell what I have told you, please, and as soon as I get to Trinity I will ride down to Austin and have this affair settled up. I did not suppose that man would trouble me away out here in Texas.”
“Father,” said Bob, who had listened in speechless wonderment to all the trouble he had caused, “you ought to have left me in the mines. You have had lots of bother on account of me.”
“My dear boy, you have not been the least particle of bother,” said Mr. Davenport hastily. “Now you know why it was that I didn’t want you to go fishing or hunting without me. I was afraid Henderson might do you some damage.”
“No, indeed! I was afraid he might abduct you. You haven’t seen him since you were seven years old, and if he could have abducted you then, and got you away where you could have signed the papers----”
“Why, father, my signature as a minor wouldn’t have amounted to anything!” said Bob.
“No; but he could have kept you until you were twenty-one, and then your signature would have amounted to something, I guess. But I will talk to you more about this in the morning. I have talked so much that I am fagged out. You are sure you don’t think any the less of me for what I have done?”
“Indeed, I do not!” said Bob, gently assisting the invalid back upon his bed. “If all the money you have should go to Henderson, I should always think of you as I do now.”
“Well, I should think a great deal less of myself,” replied Mr. Davenport emphatically. “Bob, you will get it all. I could not rest easy in my grave if I knew you were to be cheated out of it. You five boys will bear testimony to what I say? Thank you! Now, Bob, cover me up from the night air. Good-night!”
Mr. Davenport sank back on his pillows and soon breathed the sleep of exhaustion, while the rest of us, who couldn’t bear to think of lying down, went out upon the porch. Of course I was glad to see that the cowboys had got over their suspicions of Elam and me, and one would have thought from some expressions they used that such a thing had never been heard of, even in Texas. We lighted our pipes and sat down to smoke on it, hoping that the thing would come clearer to us under the influence of the weed. The only thing the cowboys blamed Mr. Davenport for was that he did not expose Coyote Bill when he found out what his intentions were. And how had Bill happened to get acquainted with Henderson? That was one thing that they could not understand.