REDDY ARMSTRONG'S REFORMATION
it or not. I have made up my mind, though, in regard to myself, and I shouldn't be a friend of yours if I did not tell you about it. You can do as you please."
He knew that his influence over Runt was powerful, but he had never tried to exert it in this direction before. So he turned over on his stomach, and stuck his fists under his chin, and puckered up his blue eyes at the red coals. The glow of the fire shone on the red head and on the black one, and neither of them was saying a word.
Presently Red began again. It was in a different tone this time. He did not relish talking in this strain.
"Besides, in your case, there's going home." He kept his eyes on the fire. "It's different with me. The governor has a pretty good idea of what I'm doing here, though I lie to him regularly, and he laughs about it with Uncle Sed. But I have no mother, you know, nor any unmarried sisters to care a rap what becomes of me. But with you—well, you know it's all a big lie the way you act at home; the way you pretend to be so frank with them all, the way
141
