The City of Fire | Page 4

it
off?"
It was some time after the key clicked in the lock and the bulky form of
the freight agent lumbered up through the pines again before Billy
stirred. Then he wriggled around through the undergrowth until he
found himself in front of the innocent looking little box covered over
with dried grass and branches. He examined it all very carefully, pried
underneath with his jack knife, discovered the spot where the wire
connected, speculated as to where it tapped the main line, prospected a
bit about the place and then on hands and knees wormed himself
through the thick growth of the mountain till he came out to the
huckleberry clump, and recovering his bicycle walked innocently up to
the station as if it were the first time that day and enquired of the surly
freight man whether a box had come for his mother.
In the first place Billy hadn't any mother, only an aunt who went out
washing and had hard times to keep a decent place for Billy to sleep
and eat, and she never had a box come by freight in her life. But the
burly one did not know that. Just what Billy Gaston did it for, perhaps
he did not quite know himself, save that the lure of hanging round a
mystery was always great. Moreover it gave him deep joy to know that
he knew something about this man that the man did not know he knew.

It was always good to know things. It was always wise to keep your
mouth shut about them when you knew them. Those were the two most
prominent planks in Billy Gaston's present platform and he stood upon
them firmly.
The burly one gave Billy a brief and gruff negative to his query and
went on painting barrel labels. He was thinking of other matters, but
Billy still hung around. He had a hunch that he might be going to make
merchandise in some way of the knowledge that he had gained, so he
hung around, silently, observantly, leaning on old rusty-trusty.
The man looked up and frowned suspiciously:
"I told you NO!" he snapped threateningly, "What you standin' there
for?"
Billy regarded him amusedly as from a superior height.
"Don't happen to know of any odd jobs I could get," he finally
condescended.
"Where would you expect a job around this dump?" sneered the man
with an eloquent wave toward the majestic mountain, "Busy little hive
right here now, ain't it?"
He subsided and Billy, slowly, thoughtfully, mounted his wheel and
rode around the station, with the air of one who enjoys the scenery. The
third time he rounded the curve by the freight agent the man looked up
with a speculative squint and eyed the boy. The fourth time he called
out, straightening up and laying down his brush.
"Say, Kid, do you know how to keep yer mouth shut?"
The boy regarded him with infinite contempt.
"Well, that depends!" he said at last. "If anybody'd make it worth my
while."
The man looked at him narrowly, the tone was at once so casual and yet
so full of possible meaning. The keenest searching revealed nothing in
the immobile face of the boy. A cunning grew in the eyes of the man.
"How would a five look to you?"
"Not enough," said the boy promptly, "I need twenty-five."
"Well, ten then."
"The boy rode off down the platform and circled the station again while
the man stood puzzled, half troubled, and watched him:
"I'll make it fifteen. What you want, the earth with a gold fence around
it?"

"I said I needed twenty-five," said Billy doggedly, lowering his eyes to
cover the glitter of coming triumph.
The thick one stood squinting off at the distant mountain thoughtfully,
then he turned and eyed Billy again.
"How'm I gonta know you're efficient?" he challenged.
"Guess you'c'n take me er leave me," came back the boy quickly.
"Course if you've got plenty help--"
The man gave him a quick bitter glance. The kid was sharp. He knew
there was no one else. Besides, how much had he overheard? Had he
been around when the station telephone rang? Kids like that were deep.
You could always count on them to do a thing well if they undertook it.
"Well, mebbe I'll try you. You gotta be on hand t'night at eight o'clock
sharp. It's mebbe an all night job, but you may be through by
midnight."
"What doing?"
"Nothing much. Just lay in the road with your wheel by your side and
act like you had a fall an' was hurt. I wanta stop a man who's in a hurry,
see?"
Billy regarded him coolly.
"Any shooting?"
"Oh, no!" said the other, "Just a little evening up of