Luck was in the living room, sitting at a table on which were scattered many papers scribbled with figures. He had a cigarette in his lips, his hat on the back of his head and a twinkle in his eyes. He looked up and grinned as they came reluctantly into the room.
' Time's money from now on, so this is going to 37
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be cut short as possible,' be began with his usual dynamic energy showing in his tone and in the movements of his hands as he gathered up the papers and evened their edges on the table top. ' You fellows know how much you put into the game when we started out to come here and produce The Phantom Herd, don't you? If you don't, I've got the figures here. I guess the returns are all in on that picture — and so far she's brought us twenty-three thousand and four hundred dollars. She went big, believe me! I sold thirty states. Well, cost of production is — what we put in the pool, plus the cost of making the prints I got in Los. 'We pull out the profits according to what we put in — sabe ? I guess that suits everybody, doesn't it ? '
' Sure,' one astonished voice gulped faintly. The others were dumb.
' Well, I've figured it out that way — and to make sure I had it right I got Billy Wilders, a pal of mine that works in a bank there, to figure it himself and check up after me. We all put in our services — one man's work against every other man's work, mine same as any of you. Bill
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Holmes, here, didn't have any money up, and he was an apprentice — but I'm giving him twenty a week besides his board. That suit you, Bill ? '
' I guess it's all right,' Bill answered in his colorless tone.
Luck, being extremely sensitive to tones, cocked an eye up at Bill before he deliberately peeled, from the roll he drew from his pocket, enough twenty dollar notes to equal the number of weeks Bill had worked for him. ' And that's paying you darned good money for apprentice work,' he informed him drily, a little hurt by Bill's lack of appreciation. For when you take a man from the streets because he is broke and hungry and homeless, and feed him and give him work and clothes and three meals a day and a warm bed to sleep in, if you are a normal human being you are going to expect a little gratitude from that man; Luck had a flash of disappointment when he saw how indifferently Bill Holmes took those twenties and counted them before shoving them into his pocket. His own voice was more crisply businesslike when he spoke again.
'Annie-Many-Ponies back yet? She's not in 39
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on the split either. I'm paying her ten a week besides her board. That's good money for a squaw.' He counted out the amount in ten dollar bills and snapped a rubber band around them.
' Now here is the profit, boys, on your winter's work. Applehead comes in with the use of his ranch and stock and wagons and so on. Here, pard — how does this look to you?' His own pleasure in what he was doing warmed from Luck's voice all the chill that Bill Holmes had sent into it. He smiled his contagious smile and peeled off fifty dollar banknotes until Applehead's eyes popped.
' Oh, don't give me so dang much! ' he gulped nervously when Luck had counted out for him the amount he had jotted down opposite his name. ' That there's more'n the hul dang ranch is worth if I was t' deed it over to yuh, Luck! I ain't goin' to take —'
' You shut up,' Luck commanded him affectionately, ' That's yours — now, close your face and let me get this thing wound up. Now — will you quit your arguing, or shall I throw you out the window ? '
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' Well, now, I calc'late you'd have a right busy time throwin' me out the window,' Applehead boasted, and backed into a corner to digest this astonishing turn of events.
One by one, as their names stood upon his list, Luck called the boys forward and with exaggerated deliberation peeled off fifty-dollar notes and one-hundred-dollar notes to take their breath and speech from them.
With Billy Wilders, his friend in the bank, to help him, he had boyishly built that roll for just this heart-warming little ceremony. He might have written checks to square the account of each, but he wanted to make their eyes stand out, just as he was doing. He had looked forward to this half hour more eagerly than any of them guessed; he had, with his eyes closed, visualized this scene over more than one cigarette, his memory picturing vividly another scene wherein these same young men had cheerfully emptied their pockets and planned many small personal sacrifices that he, Luck Lindsay, might have money enough to come here to New Mexico and make his one Big Picture. Luck felt that nothing less than a display
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of the profits in real money could ever quite balance that other scene when all the Happy Family had in the world went in the pot and they mourned because it was so little.
' Aw, I betche Luck robbed a bank er something ! ' Happy Jack stuttered with an awkward attempt to conceal his delight when his name was called, his investment was read and the little sheaf of currency that represented his profit was laid in his outstretched palm.
' It's me for the movies if this is the way they pan out,' Weary declared gleefully. ' Mamma! I didn't know there was so much money in the world!'
' I'll bet he milked Los Angeles dry of paper money,' Andy Green asserted facetiously, thumbing his small fortune gloatingly. ' Holding out anything for yourself, Luck? We don't want to be hogs.'
' I'm taking care of my interests — don't you worry about that a minute,' Luck stated complacently. ' I held mine out first. That wipes the slate — and cleans up the bank-roll. I maintain The Phantom Herd was so-o-ome picture, boys.
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They'll be getting it here in 'Querque soon — we'll all go in and see it.
' Now we're all set for a fresh start. And while you're all here I'll just put you up to date on what kind of a deal I made with Dewitt. We come in under the wing of Excelsior, and our brand name will be Flying U Feature Films —
