Page:Allan Dunn--Dead Man's Gold.djvu/45

Rh Lefty laughed. Healy flushed a very little, lost poise, and glanced from one to the other of them suspiciously.

"We'd be fine jugginses, we'd be," said Lefty, "to give you all the meat jest becoz you've got a string tied to it."

"Don't forget I have got a string tied to it," said Healy. "And I'm going to make that string stronger before I come through with any information. I may not be able to go far without you, but you don't want to lose sight of the fact that you can't even start without me. There's going to be a hard-and-fast agreement drawn up between us three that our mutual information is to be equally applied for a final division of all and any profits into three equal parts, less expenses. And it won't be drawn up by any catch-as-catch-can lawyer, at that. We'll get one in Los Angeles to fix it."

"That is perfectly agreeable to me," said Stone. "Fair enough, eh, Lefty?"

Larkin nodded. "Suits me," he said.

"But why Los Angeles?" asked Stone. "There are good mining attorneys nearer than that."

"Because we have to connect with the Southern Pacific to make our way to the location," said Healy. "I'll tell you that much. Old Lyman and his partners trailed it in, hoof and shoe, with their burros. It would take us too much time, and cost more in the end than railroad fare, to go at it that way. We'll cut in fairly dose to the end of his trail. Never mind where just yet."