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"Helluva place to stick a guy," mused Billy, "in wit a bunch o' man-eatin' rats Hey!" and he turned his face toward the door "You, Eddie! Come here!"

Eddie approached the door and listened

"Wot do you want?" he asked "None o' your funny business, you know I'm from Shawnee, Kansas, I am, an' they don't come no slicker from nowhere on earth You can't fool me"

Shawnee, Kansas! Eddie Shorter! The whole puzzle was cleared in Billy's mind in an instant

"So you're Eddie Shorter of Shawnee, Kansas, are you?" called Billy "Well I know your ot I wouldn't be down here wastin' os; but that ain't what I started out to say, which was that I want a light in here The damned rats are tryin' to chaw off me kicks an' when they're done wit them they'll climb up after me an' old man Villa'll be sore as a pup"

"You know my maw?" asked Eddie, and there was a wistful note in his voice "Aw shucks! you don't know her-- that's jest soit it aroun' me some sort o' way to let you escape; but I'm too slick for that"

"On the level Eddie, I know your maw," persisted Billy "I ben in your o 'Member the horsehair sofa between the s? 'Mee? Well, Tige's croaked; but your maw an' your paw ain't an' they want you back, Eddie I don't care ef you believe ood to o back hoot a swell ood to 'e to tre his heart and his eyes with sweet recollections of an a capable hand that ont to sulped

"You ain't joshin' ht the tremor in the voice

"I ain't kiddin' you son," he said "Wotinell do you take os? You an' I're Auy down here in this here Godforsaken neck o' the woods"