refore
debarred from turning his head to look at his companion but at least he
could put the astonishment he felt into words.

"So--you think that's a queer name, do you? Well, I'm asking you again,
where did you ever run across it--who ever spoke it in your hearing,
Perk?"

"Why--er, guess it was on'y _you_, partner," came the hesitating
reply.

"You don't say?" gasped Jack, tremendously excited, "please tell me when
that happened because I don't remember doing such a thing, though I
meant to carry out our partnership arrangement this very night when we
had settled down and could have a nice quiet confab--go on, though, and
say when I lifted the lid, and let you into this part of our big game,
Perk."

"Huh! you talked in your sleep some, old hoss--first time ever I knew
you to do sech a thing--said that name exactly three times, like it
meant a heap in the bargain."

"You mean _tonight_ while I was picking up a few winks of sleep--is
that a fact, Perk?"

"Sure thing, boss--course I knew somethin' must be pesterin' you like
all get-out, so I made up my mind to ask you who that Oswald might be
an' what we'd got to do with such a critter."

Then Jack laughed as the humorous side of his recent thrill had begun to
grip him.

"Well, well, seems like I'll soon have to put a padlock on my lips after
this when I hit the hay. It's a serious offence for a fellow in
_our_ profession to give away his secrets like that! Never knew
myself to be guilty of babbling that way before. Lucky you were the only
one to hear me give the game away so recklessly. The joke is on me,
partner."

"But say, Jack, whoever is this Kearns guy anyhow--I sure never heard
his name before tonight an' I kinder got the idee in my head he must be
some big-wig you ran up against when in Washington--somebody who had the
orderin' around o' poor dicks like me'nd you."

"That's a far guess, brother," Jack told him, "for the fact of the
matter is, this Oswald Kearns happens to be a certain party just now
under suspicion as being the king-pin of these smugglers who're giving
Uncle Sam a run for his money down along this gulf coast!"

Perk took it with a little break, as though the information fairly
staggered him, but he was quickly back again at his fly-casting--seeking
information at the fount in which he had so much faith.

"You sent me into a reg'lar tail spin that time, Jack, but after tellin'
me so much, it'd be right cruel to keep me a'guessin