Might jump that
old fence and be off, for all I know."
"Well," said Marianne, "they look quite contented. And if one of them
did take advantage of you and run away while you slept, I'm sure it
would come home again."
He had quite fallen into the spirit of the thing.
"Maybe," grinned McGuire, "but I might wake up out of a job."
"Well," said Marianne, "there have been times when I would have
weighed one hour of good sleep against two jobs as pleasant as this.
How much real damage might that sleep do?"
"If it took me out of the job? Oh, I dunno. Might take another month
before I landed a place as good."
"Surely not as long as that. But isn't it possible that your sleep
might be worth _two_ months' wages to you, Mr. McGuire?"
"H-m-m," growled McGuire, and his little shifty eyes fastened keenly
on her. "You sure mean business!"
"As much as anyone in the world could!" cried the girl, suddenly
serious.
And for a moment they stared at each other.
"Lady," said McGuire at length, "I begin to feel sort of yawny and
sleepy, like."
"Then sleep," said Marianne, her voice trembling in spite of herself.
"You might have pleasant dreams, you know--of a murder prevented--of a
man's life saved!"
McGuire jerked his sombrero low over his eyes.
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