"That's right, Eddie," said Billy, with a laugh."Don't you take no chances, no matter how much sob stuff I hand you, fer, I'll give it to you straight, ef I get the chanct I'll make my get-away; but I can't do it wit my flippers trussed, an' you wit a brace of gats sittin' on me.Let's have a light, Eddie.That won't do nobody any harm, an' it may discourage the rats."Eddie backed across the office to a table where stood a small lamp.Keeping an eye through the door on his prisoner he lighted the lamp and carried it into the back room, setting it upon a commode which stood in one corner.
"You really seen maw?" he asked."Is she well?""Looked well when I seen her," said Billy; "but she wants her boy back a whole lot.I guess she'd look better still ef he walked in on her some day.""I'll do it," cried Eddie."The minute they get money for the pay I'll hike.Tell me your name.I'll ask her ef she remembers you when I get home.Gee! but I wish I was walkin' in the front door now.""She never knew my name," said Billy; "but you tell her you seen the bo that mussed up the two yeggmen who rolled her an' were tryin' to croak her wit a butcher knife.I guess she ain't fergot.Me an' my pal were beatin' it--he was on the square but the dicks was after me an' she let us have money to make our get-away.She's all right, kid."There came a knock at the outer office door.Eddie sprang back into the front room, closing and locking the door after him, just as Barbara entered.
"Eddie," she asked, "may I see the prisoner? I want to talk to him.""You want to talk with a bank robber?" exclaimed Eddie.
"Why you ain't crazy are you, Miss Barbara?""No, I'm not crazy; but I want to speak with him alone for just a moment, Eddie--please."Eddie hesitated.He knew that Grayson would be angry if he let the boss's daughter into that back room alone with an outlaw and a robber, and the boss himself would probably be inclined to have Eddie drawn and quartered; but it was hard to refuse Miss Barbara anything.
"Where is he?" she asked.
Eddie jerked a thumb in the direction of the door.The key still was in the lock.
"Go to the window and look at the moon, Eddie," suggested the girl."It's perfectly gorgeous tonight.Please, Eddie,"as he still hesitated.
Eddie shook his head and moved slowly toward the window.
"There can't nobody refuse you nothin', miss," he said;"'specially when you got your heart set on it.""That's a dear, Eddie," purred the girl, and moved swiftly across the room to the locked door.
As she turned the key in the lock she felt a little shiver of nervous excitement run through her."What sort of man would he be--this hardened outlaw and robber--this renegade American who had cast his lot with the avowed enemies of his own people?" she wondered.
Only her desire to learn of Bridge's fate urged her to attempt so distasteful an interview; but she dared not ask another to put the question for her, since should her complicity in Bridge's escape--provided of course that he had escaped--become known to Villa the fate of the Americans at El Orobo would be definitely sealed.
