Page:West of Dodge (1926).pdf/58

 Carries them diamonds around like most men carry a plug of t'backer."

"They must be imitation diamonds. No man of sense would risk that much around loose in his pocket."

"Every one of 'em's a diamond," Jim defended, with a triumphant pride. "Charley'll hand 'em over to anybody that wants to test 'em out. There was a Jew drummer here not long ago told me Charley must have ten thousand dollars' worth of diamonds in his pocket, at the very lowest estimate. That Jew feller's eyes bugged out till you could 'a' scraped 'em off of his face with a trowel when he saw Charley pourin' them diamonds in that off-handed way of his when he's talkin' to somebody."

"It's enough to startle anybody that knows what they are. I never even thought of diamonds—I thought the man must be off a little, amusing himself playing with a handful of glass."

"No, I guess Charley's about as sound in the head as any of us out here west of Dodge," said Jim. He got up, making a show of being suddenly recalled to a sense of his responsibility to the house. "Well, I guess I've nearly talked an arm off you," he excused himself.

"Not at all. You've given me a lot of valuable information. I'm much obliged."

"If it's any help to you, you're welcome."

"This Gus fellow: he's a pretty tough case, is he?"

"He's as onery as castor oil. He'll lay for you, sure as taxes. If I was you I wouldn't put my foot out of doors without a gun on me—I wouldn't go a eench outside of my office without it."

"I didn't come here to fight," Hall replied, loftily. "I'm not a fighting man."