Billy watched him from the graveyard enclosure whither he had retired
to write a letter, and he made a face and wasted a gesture of defiance
after his departing car. So much Billy felt he had accomplished toward
reparation. He was now attempting a third act.
On the smooth end of the old stone he had a newspaper spread, and upon
that a sheet of letter paper which he had extracted from Aunt Saxon's
ancient box in the old secretary in the corner of the kitchen. Kneeling
beside the stone he carefully inscribed the following words: "Yoors to cummand,
B. Gaston."
He folded the paper with his smudgy fingers, and stuffed it into a
soiled envelope on which he wrote Mark's name, and as he had seen Lynn
write down in the corner of a note that he had taken to Monopoly for
her, "Kindness of Billy," so he wrote "Kindnus of Cheef." Then he
mounted his wheel and rode to Economy. After some apparently aimless
riding he brought up at the back of the Chief's garage where he applied
a canny eye to a crack and ascertained just how many and what cars were
inside. He then rode straight to the bank where he was pretty sure the
Chief would be standing near the steps at this hour. Waiting a time of
leisure he handed him the envelope: "Say, Chief, c'n I trouble you to d'liver that?"
The Chief looked at the envelope and then at Billy and opened his lips
to speak, but Billy forestalled him: "I know you don't know where he is at all now, Chief, o' course, but I
just thought you might happen to meet up with him sometime soon. That's
all right, Chief. Thank ya." Billy ended with a knowing wink.
The Chief turned the envelope over, noted that it was unsealed, grinned
back and put it in his pocket. They had been good friends, these two,
for several years, ever since Billy had been caught bearing the penalty
for another boy's misdemeanor.
"That's all right Billy," said the Chief affably, "I won't forget it--
if I see him! Seen anything more of those automobile thieves?"
"Nope," said Billy sadly, "but I gotta line on 'em. 'f'I find anythin'
more I'll callyaup!"
"Do!" said the Chief cordially, and the interview was closed.
Billy bought some cakes at the bakery with ten cents he had earned
running an errand from the grocery that morning, and departed on
important business. He had definitely decided to give up his thirty
pieces of silver. No more blood money for him. His world was upside
down and all he loved were suffering, and all because he had been
mercenary. The only way to put things right was to get rid of any gain
that might accrue to himself. Then he would be in a position to do
something. And Pat was his first object now. He meant to give back the
money to Pat! He had thought it all out, and he meant to waste no time
in getting things straight.