u. This here," she pointed toward the dead man, "he my father. He
bad man. Steal; kill; drink; fight; but always good to Giova. Good to no
one else but Beppo. He afraid Beppo. Even our people drive us out he, my
father, so bad man. We wander 'round country mak leetle money when Beppo
dance; mak lot money when HE steal. Two days he no come home. I go las'
night look for him. Sometimes he too drunk come home he sleep Squeebs.
I go there. I find heem dead. He have fits, six, seven year. He die fit.
Beppo stay guard heem. I carry heem home. Giova strong, he no very large
man. Beppo come too. I bury heem. No one know we leeve here. Pretty soon
I go way with Beppo. Why tell people he dead. Who care? Mak lot trouble
for Giova whose heart already ache plenty. No one love heem, only Beppo
and Giova. No one love Giova, only Beppo; but some day Beppo he
keel Giova now HE is dead, for Beppo vera large, strong bear--fierce
bear--ogly bear. Even Giova who love Beppo is afraid Beppo. Beppo devil
bear! Beppo got evil eye.

"Well," said Bridge, "I guess, Giova, that you and we are in the same
boat. We haven't any of us done anything so very bad but it would be
embarrassing to have to explain to the police what we have done," here
he glanced at The Oskaloosa Kid and the girl standing beside the youth.
"Suppose we form a defensive alliance, eh? We'll help you and you help
us. What do you say?"

"All right," acquiesced Giova; "but what we do with this?" and she
jerked her thumb toward Willie Case.

"If he don't behave we'll feed him to Beppo," suggested Bridge.

Willie shook in his boots, figuratively speaking, for in reality he
shook upon his bare feet. "Lemme go," he wailed, "an' I won't tell
nobody nothin'."

"No," said Bridge, "you don't go until we're safely out of here. I
wouldn't trust that vanishing chin of yours as far as I could throw
Beppo by the tail."

"Wait!" exclaimed The Oskaloosa Kid. "I have it!"

"What have you?" asked Bridge.

"Listen!" cried the boy excitedly. "This boy has been offered a hundred
dollars for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the men
who robbed and murdered in Oakdale last night. I'll give him a hundred
dollars if he'll go away and say nothing about us."

"Look here, son," said Bridge, "every time you open your mouth you put
your foot in it. The less you advertise the fact that you have a hundred
dollars the better off you'll be. I don't know how you come by so much
wealth;