Page:Allan Dunn--Dead Man's Gold.djvu/57

Rh Stone had confidently expected, Healy grinned round at him from the ticket-seller's window as he said:

"First stop's Calexico."

Calexico was on the southern swing of a loop of the Southern Pacific between Imperial Junction and Yuma. This southern swing passed over the California-Mexico line at the border town, which was called Calexico and Mexicali respectively, on the California and Mexican sides, coming back into the United States again at Yuma. To leave the train at Calexico seemed to premise a trip into Mexico proper. And that did not tie up with Stone's logic. There were no Apaches in Mexico.

But Healy's grin was not to be fed and Stone said nothing until they were aboard the train.

"If the Madre d'Oro is on the opposite side of the border," he remarked, "this is hardly an auspicious time to go after it."

"I said Calexico was the first stop, not the last," answered Healy. "Matter of fact, we are going across the border, but not far. Just into Mexicali, Stone. I didn't raise the money I expected to in Los Angeles. As a matter of fact, I got just twenty dollars. How much have we in the pot, all told?"

Healy's assumption that, being partners, any money that any one of the three might secure was general capital, was sound enough. Stone realized. Lefty, quite justly, felt no chagrin at being broke. It was only Stone's personal objection to travelling on any of Healy's money, and he felt that he had no